Urban Council
made as circumstances permit.
The Dickinson proposals would seem
to be a realistic appraisal of an increased range of functions which could be within the grasp of local authorities at this stage of
their development.
11.
Financial Responsibility.
The Urban Council report proposed
that the new Municipal Council should be the rating and licensing authority for the Colony, although rates and revenue would continue
to be collected through the Government Treasury. In addition
there would be block grants from general revenue in aid of the
services provided. The Working Party report recommended that revenues accruing from rates should be shared between the central
Government and local authorities, collection remaining the responsibility of the central Government; certain forms of licensing revenue might be paid to the local authorities; and grants in aid should be payable by the central Government, both in the form of general purpose grants, special grants to stimulate particular activities and equalisation grants to the poorer authorities. It was also recommended that the central Government should provide facilities for loans to finance capital development. Mr. Dickinson's proposals were on almost identical lines so far as
the Municipal Council is concerned; but in the case of the embryonic Tsuen Wan Authority it would need at this stage to be financed by subventions from public funds. Again, the Working Party and Dickinson proposals appear to meet the practical needs of local authorities at their present stage of development. The important thing is that these authorities should have some measure of responsibility over raising the finance they need and for control of expenditure through their own estimates.
BACKGROUND
Existing Local Government Bodies
12.
The Urban Council has statutory responsibility for operating the basic sanitary services in the urban areas of Hong Kong/Kowloon and also a variety of other duties in the field of public health, such as the supervision of food premises, hawkers, operation of slaughter houses and pest control; it also has responsibilities
/ for the
...