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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
ADDRESS BY CHAIRMAN
CHAIRMAN (in English):—Ladies and Gentlemen, the meeting is called to order.
MINUTES
The minutes of the meeting held on 13 July 1982 were confirmed.
STATEMENT BY CHAIRMAN
CHAIRMAN (in Cantonese):—
The Urban Council's Interlocking Role with the District Boards
On September 23rd next there will be about 230 candidates vying for 76 seats in the 10 Urban District Boards. Since the Urban Council has a close working relationship with all the urban District Boards, we are naturally extremely interested in the election outcome. I hope that there will be a large turn-out of voters and wish all the candidates every success.
Sitting on every urban District Board are Urban Councillors who are charged with the responsibility of ensuring that the residents of their respective Districts are provided with Council facilities and services to the maximum extent that resources permit. In the Urban Council's Capital Works Programme there are over $2,000 million worth of items, at today's prices, consisting of market complexes, swimming pool complexes, libraries, playgrounds, etc. to be built in the ten urban Districts over the next 5-7 years. Urban Councillors will see to it that their respective District Boards will get a fair share of such projects as early as is practicable.
Two of the District Board specialized committees with which the Urban Council has a close connection are the Environment Improvement Committee and the Community Building Committee.
The Council is grateful for the cooperation of the District Board Environment Improvement Committee and the various Area Committees for their advice and support on the 'Clean Hong Kong Campaign', on hawker re-ordering exercises and on continuously pointing out areas for environmental improvement within the Council's capabilities. This cooperation between the District Boards and the Council at the grass-roots level is in the aggregate creating a more healthy and wholesome living environment for the four million residents of urban Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. The advice and support from the District Boards have contributed much towards keeping Hong Kong 'clean, green and beautiful'. A good example of such support has been the setting up of several Hawker Self-Discipline Committees to help keep streets that have a large number of hawkers both tidy and free from obstruction.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
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The Community Building activities of the District Boards furthermore deserve the fullest support of the Urban Council. Within all ten urban Districts, the Council implements its share of community building by way of expanding sports, recreation and cultural facilities, as well as its year-round programme of public entertainment, organized sports, recreational activities, cultural presentations and various festivals.
The Council is most happy to support the individual District Board in its planning and sponsoring of District Cultural Festivals, Weekend Sports Galas or other community building activity for young people, the elderly, factory workers or any other group living within the District.
An important Council objective in its cooperation with the District Boards is to instill through the active participation of District residents a sense of community identity and of growing responsibility for the affairs of their District. In this respect, I would naturally like to include the squatter residents in each district.
The Council for example has taken the initiative to encourage urban District Boards to organize their own carnivals, festivals and district sports events. Another example is the recent decision to jointly cooperate with a particular District Board in sponsoring a Weekend Carnival for factory workers. These are only two examples of the many other jointly sponsored programmes between the Council and individual District Boards which are in hand.
A close cooperation between the Urban Council and the District Board system will assuredly enhance the democratic spirit and a sense of responsibility for one's own local affairs in Hong Kong.
As Councillors are aware, the Prime Minister, Mrs. Margaret THATCHER, will shortly be coming to Hong Kong after her visit to Peking. We assure her of a very warm welcome even though her stay here will be all too brief. The Council's long-term planning for the building of major environmental, recreation, sports and cultural facilities for our citizens is a clear indication of our faith in Hong Kong's future; such commitment underlines Hong Kong's capability to remain as an international financial, trade and industrial centre, and to contribute significantly to China's modernization as well as to the welfare and democratic life-style of our own people.
(Mr. CHAN Chi-kwan and Miss Cecilia YEUNG arrived during the Chairman's address.)
PAPERS
The following papers were laid on the table:—
(1) Report to the Urban Council by the Director of Urban Services and Secretary, Urban Council for the months of July and August 1982.
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