Proposal for Additional Grants be Given to Town Councils to Manage Hawker Centres

Mr Shawn Loh asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment whether the Ministry can consider providing additional grants to Town Councils that manage hawker centres themselves, such as Whampoa and Bendemeer Hawker Centres, in view of the resources needed by the Town Councils to maintain these hawker centres at similar levels of quality and cleanliness as NEA-managed hawker centres.

Ms Grace Fu Hai Yien: The general cleaning and maintenance of hawker centres owned by the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment are managed by the National Environment Agency (NEA) or NEA-appointed operators, while hawker centres owned by the Housing and Development Board are managed and maintained by Town Councils.

There are currently no plans to change the existing management and funding arrangements for hawker centres. Nonetheless, regardless of ownership, hawker centres serve as community dining rooms and the upkeep of their cleanliness is a shared responsibility that requires every stakeholder to play their part. NEA will continue to monitor the cleanliness measures and outcomes, and work with other agencies and stakeholders, including Town Councils, to ensure that hawker centres remain clean and comfortable dining spaces.