# HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
# ADDRESS BY CHAIRMAN
CHAIRMAN (in English):-Good afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen. The meeting is called to order.
## MINUTES
The minutes of the meeting held on 8 December 1981 were confirmed.
## PAPER
The following paper was laid on the table:-
(1) Report to the Urban Council by the Director of Urban Services and Secretary, Urban Council, for the month of December 1981.
## MOTION
1. The Chairman moved the following motion:—
'That this Council endorse the Statement of Aims for 1982.'
He said (in Cantonese): Within a fortnight, we will be entering the Year of the Dog. It is supposed to bring harmony and peace on the one hand, and to portend significant changes in economics, politics and social progress on the other hand.
In a few short months, our Governor, Sir Murray MACLEHOSE, will relinquish the governorship of Hong Kong. Before his departure from Hong Kong, Members I am sure will have opportunity to express gratitude for Sir Murray's unfailing support of this Council. Sir Murray's accession to the Life Peerage is in signal recognition of his unrivalled achievements and services on behalf of Hong Kong. As a Member of the House of Lords, he will be able in future to speak up for Hong Kong's interests as the occasion arises.
Hong Kong's new Governor, Sir Edward YOUDE, comes to Hong Kong with impeccable qualifications, a positive sign of the importance that Whitehall attaches not only to its relationship with Hong Kong but also to the long-term future of Hong Kong. This Council looks forward to the continued support of and excellent relationship with the new Governor as it has with Sir Murray MACLEHOSE.
The Urban Council Conventional Debate is an annual exercise in which Members can, apart from speaking on matters within the jurisdiction of the Council, speak on other topics in which they are interested, such as public housing, transport, education, pollution, medical services and social welfare. The views of Members on such matters will be conveyed to Government after the Debate.
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Over the past months, the new District Board administration structure has been slowly but surely taking shape with the formation of six District Boards in the urban areas so far, and the remaining four to be set up within the next two months. The Council is to have representation on all ten urban District Boards and at present a total of 16 Urban Councillors are sitting on these Boards. Representation of the Council on the District Boards is of vital importance to the smooth working of the new scheme in changing the socio-economic environment of Hong Kong. I firmly believe that a close working relationship between the Council and the Boards will in the long run benefit the community as a whole.
The Council should in effect be taking on a more significant role. As such, the Council will be responsible for providing in greater depth a wide range of environmental, recreational and cultural facilities and services in all ten districts, in which four million people live. Time will tell whether the Council's role will expand even further, depending on its administrative effectiveness and evolving socio-political considerations.
One of the terms of reference of the new District Boards is to advise on the adequacy and priorities of Government programmes for the district. I hope members of District Boards will convey to the Council the views of their respective districts on the priority and adequacy of Council programmes and services. We welcome constructive and new suggestions in the planning and implementation of our projects so that they will better meet the needs of the district residents. Being closer to the people at the district grass-roots level, it is easier for Board Members to sound out the views of people on Council's district services and projects. We will seek to accommodate their wishes as far as is practicable.
In moving the motion for this annual Debate, I would like to briefly touch on a few major Council services and projects. Other Members will be speaking on them in greater detail during the Debate.
First of all, the hawking situation is still of major concern to the Council. We have made progress in the past year in bringing some order and improvement to the environment through a series of hawker re-ordering exercises and the completion and opening of several new market buildings. However, much more still has to be done to continue with the re-ordering exercise for unlicensed hawkers, mainly in Kowloon.
Secondly, on the Clean Hong Kong Campaign, the Council is committed to making the urban areas cleaner and greener. It is also taking positive measures to upgrade sanitation services in urban squatter areas where more than 250,000 squatter residents now reside.