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# HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
## ADDRESS BY CHAIRMAN
CHAIRMAN (in English):-Ladies and Gentlemen, it is just 4 o'clock and I would like to call this meeting to order. Before we proceed with the business of today's meeting, I congratulate our five colleagues who are back with us, Mrs. E. ELLIOTT, Dr. Denny M. H. HUANG, Mr. Hilton CHEONG-LEEN, Dr. P. C. WONG and Miss Cecilia L. Y. YEUNG, upon their re-election. (Applause). At the Standing Committee meeting just before the elections I mentioned that I expected to see them back, and now they are all actually back with us for a period of four years of very fruitful work.
(Messrs. B. A. BERNACCHI and TSIN Sai-nin arrived at this point.)
## MINUTES
The minutes of the meeting held on 18th February, 1975 were confirmed.
(Miss Cecilia L. Y. YEUNG arrived at this point.)
## STATEMENT
CHAIRMAN (in English):-Our participation in the Urban Rates was based on the establishment before the Council was reformed on 1st April, 1973. It did not take into account the manpower requirements of the many building schemes the Council had on the Public Works programme and for other projects then under consideration or even approved but not yet shown in it. Of course, an annual "incremental creep" of 2.6% was allowed presumably for salary increases; but, inflation in the last few years since the calculation was started has made a mockery of it. Consequently, the Council has now to absorb increases in salaries and wages in addition to paying for new staff from existing sources of revenue. In the circumstances, the prospect is disquieting as the Urban Services Department's personal emoluments amount to a very substantial part of the Council's expenditure. It varies in effect from about two-thirds when the annual budget is drawn up to roughly three-quarters at the end of the year, because no payment has been made so far for capital projects which will become heavy in a short time, while there have been savings in other directions, mostly of a temporary nature also.
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Inevitably, our payroll will increase. Rising levels of pay and other benefits are going up faster than our rate revenue can be expected to do. So more supporting revenue has to be generated. It can be done from either existing or new secondary sources, an exercise which the Council will have to carry out gradually without causing hardship and should be ready to introduce but need not do until the right time in each case.
Thus, we must focus attention more and more on staff matters. For one, it is the Council's policy to intensify present training-schemes and to organize new ones because our staff must have the opportunity of becoming better equipped for their work. Moreover, where we expand and improve our services, specialist staff should be recruited by preference. At the same time, we should ensure that all members of the department are properly deployed and fully engaged. Holidays and other leave should be taken in periods of low activity to avoid carrying heavy leave reserves which must never be related to peak loads. In this day and age, the question may be asked whether there can be any justification for long or frequent periods of leave at public expense. Only by examining the whole staff position objectively and without fear or favour will the public get value for money in terms of service from the department.
To achieve this purpose, the Council will introduce staff statements for consideration by the relevant select committees in respect of the manpower employed in performing their separate functions. The Administration Select Committee, with general responsibility for staff matters, will examine the position as a whole. In the end, the Standing Committee of the Whole Council will consider select committee recommendations together with the report of the Administration Select Committee, thus giving the same treatment to this most important subject as we have been doing to the Council's finances. Indeed, this staff exercise is intended to complement the great care the Council together has shown over its finances. Moreover, when any proposal is put to a select committee, both money and manpower implications should be stated clearly at the same time, not brought up as an afterthought, as it were.
The Council has enjoyed the support of all members of the Urban Services Department. Without this happy partnership, no progress would have been made in the way the Council has done. To be sure, the Council will always promote the well-being of our staff to the extent that is possible and reasonable. In turn, the Council expects that the Department will also carry out a constant review of its
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