(a) Environmental public health (including sanitation, hygiene, the licensing of food and food premises, the construction and management of markets, the control of hawkers and the con- struction of hawker bazaars).
(b) Recreation and amenities (including the management and con- trol of parks, playgrounds, bathing beaches, public swimming pools and stadia. In addition the Council will continue to manage both multi-storey and open air car parks).
(c) The provision of certain cultural services (including the manage- ment of the City Hall and any other building of a similar nature which may be constructed in future and the management of public libraries, art galleries, museums, etc.).
(d) Public housing: the Council's past interest in public housing will remain unchanged until such time as any fresh policy decisions are taken on the future co-ordination of activities in this field.
In effect, the new legislation will bring together those functions the Urban Council already has into one piece of legislation, adding those referred to in the next paragraph. As at present, some of these functions will be made mandatory, while some will merely be permissive, to be exercised to the extent that the Council decides.
New Licensing Duties
8. As requested by the Urban Council in its 1969 Report, the Council will be made the authority for certain additional licensing functions which are environmental in character, i.e. liquor licensing (though the Police will retain authority to approve temporary extensions of licensing hours) cinemas, bowling alleys, skating rinks, billiard saloons, barber shops and table tennis saloons. It is considered that the Police should retain authority for the licensing of dance halls, mahjong shops and pawnbrokers since these require to be carefully supervised to prevent them from becoming subject to the control of criminal elements.
Title
9. In the absence of any obviously appropriate alternative and in the interest of continuity, it is proposed that the title 'Urban Council' should be retained.
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