The term of City Councillors who were elected in the 1950 Municipal Election had ended. Former members of LP who founded the Democratic Labour Party - the prelude to LF - contested as "Independent-Labour" candidates. A PP and an independent Councillor both defected to LP. Debuting in city elections was UMNO-MCA, the first time a third party entered the fray, which came into an alliance in conjunction with their Malayan counterparts. The only walkover to have occurred in municipal elections - and the second time in history - was City ward when a PP member, Mrs Mary Lobo, was not eligible to run due to her name not in the register. PP continued to maintain its simple majority for the fourth time in a row. After this, there was no CC election until 1957 and the terms of all incumbent Councillors were extended while the Rendel Commission and another two committees, including the McNeice Commission, delayed the completion of reviewing of Singapore's national and local governance. In May 1954, it was officially confirmed that city elections for the year would be postponed indefinitely. Politicians lobbied for a December 1955 dateline but the constitutional hangover lasted longer than expected.

Nomination day: 4 November 1953 [Wed]
Polling day: 5 December 1953 [Sat]

Registered voters: 50,238
Voters in walkover wards: 6,700 (13.3%)
Total voters: 43,538 (86.7%)
Total voter turnout: 21,527 (50.3%)

Election deposit: $250