THE ROLE OF MAYORS
Mr Singh said it remains unclear to many Singaporeans what the job scope of mayors is, and why their pay needs to be linked to the political salary framework.
Noting that he had previously raised the topic in parliament, Mr Singh said many functions previously performed by the Community Development Councils, which mayors head, have gradually been devolved to other organisations, including Social Service Offices and other government agencies.
“The 2026 Review Committee has itself now recognised that the considerations for community-related roles such as MPs and mayors may differ from those for full-time political appointment holders,” he said.
He noted that the government has accepted the committee’s recommendation to study how to delink payments for these roles from the MR4 ministerial benchmark, while ensuring they remain adequate for the roles to be carried out faithfully and effectively.
“Beyond confirming when the study is likely to be completed, I ask the government to include in its study if it intends to keep the Office of the Mayor and to explain its scope, role and function,” he said.
Mr Singh also called for a review of allowances for legislative assistants and secretarial assistants to MPs, something not included in the recent exercise.
The government said in March this year that the matter fell outside the review committee’s terms of reference, and that these allowances were last updated in 2007, said Mr Singh.
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