Community Development Council
A Community Development Council (abbreviation: CDC; Chinese: 社区发展理事会; Malay: Majlis Pembangunan Masyarakat; Tamil: சமூக மேம்பாட்டு மன்றம்) is a government-led programme to organise grassroot organisations and community programmes into smaller, local units as a bridge between the government and the community. It encourages volunteerism from wider community, and organises community and social assistance programmes with the help of a monetary grant from the government. They are governed by the Community Development Council Rules 1997.
Organisation
There are currently five CDCs, namely the
- Central Singapore Community Development Council
- North East Community Development Council
- North West Community Development Council
- South East Community Development Council
- South West Community Development Council
The council boundaries follow that of the existing political divisions, with each handling between four and six GRCs and SMCs and roughly dividing the country's population into equal parts. Each CDC is managed by a Council, which in turn is headed by a mayor and has between 12 and 80 members. The members are appointed by the Chairman or Deputy Chairman of the People's Association.
Funding
The CDCs are funded by an annual sum from the government directly proportionate to the number of residents living within their jurisdiction at a rate of S$1 per person. They are free to conduct their own fund-raising programmes, which the government will match S$3 for every S$1 raised. The grant is raised to S$4 per S$1 donated through long-term arrangements, such as via GIRO. The government also pays for the councils' operational costs, including that for its offices.
