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TIME FOR DISTRICT BOARDS TO CONSOLIDATE
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THE GOVERNMENT HAS PROPOSED TO ALLOCATE $31.7 MILLION TO THE 18 DISTRICT BOARDS IN THE NEW TERRITORIES AND URBAN AREAS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT PROJECTS DURING THE 1983-84 FISCAL YEAR.
THIS WAS ANNOUNCED TODAY BY THE PRINCIPAL ASSISTANT SECRETARY (DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION) OF THE CITY AND NEW TERRITORIES ADMINISTRATION, MRS REGINA IP.
SUBJECT TO APPROVAL BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, THE ALLOCATION WOULD REPRESENT AN INCREASE OF $2.08 MILLION, OR JUST OVER SEVEN PER CENT, COMPARED TO THE CURRENT YEAR'S FIGURE, SHE SAID.
MRS IP NOTED THAT THE RELATIVELY SMALL INCREASE OF FUNDS WAS TO BE EXPECTED IN VIEW OF THE GENERAL CONTRACTION OF EXPENDITURE BY THE PUBLIC SECTOR.
BUT SHE STRESSED THAT THE WORK OF THE DISTRICT BOARDS WOULD NOT BE AFFECTED.
+NOW IS THE TIME FOR THE 18 DISTRICT BOARDS TO CONSOLIDATE AND TO GET GOOD VALUE FOR MONEY, SHE ADDED.
SHE POINTED OUT THAT THE ADDITIONAL AMOUNT OF $2.08 MILLION WOULD BE SHARED AMONG THE 10 URBAN DISTRICT BOARDS, RANGING FROM AN INCREASE OF $580 000 FOR KOWLOON CITY TO AN INCREASE OF $120 000 EACH FOR KWUN TONG AND WONG TAI SIN.
+ALLOCATIONS TO THE EIGHT NT BOARDS REMAIN AT THE SAME LEVEL AS THE CURRENT YEAR, BECAUSE OF THE NEED TO BRING ALLOCATIONS TO THE URBAN DISTRICT BOARDS PROGRESSIVELY MORE IN LINE WITH ALLOCATIONS TO THE NT BOARDS, SHE SAID.
+ALTHOUGH NT BOARDS ARE RECEIVING NIL INCREASE IN FUNDS IN THE COMING FISCAL YEAR, THERE HAVE BEEN SPECTACULAR INCREASES OF 60 PER CENT AND 120 PER CENT OVER THE PREVIOUS YEAR'S ALLOCATION IN THE PAST TWO YEARS, WHILE ALLOCATIONS TO THE URBAN DISTRICT BOARDS HAVE YET TO BE TOPPED UP.
+ALSO URBAN DISTRICT BOARDS HAVE ACQUIRED GREATER EXPERIENCE IN SPENDING FUNDS ON WORTHWHILE PROJECTS AND THE DEMAND FOR ACTIVITIES AND PROJECTS FUNDED BY THE BOARDS IS STEADILY INCREASING.
+OF COURSE THIS DOES NOT MEAN THAT THERE IS ANY SLOWDOWN IN THE DEMAND FOR SUCH ACTIVITIES IN THE NEW TERRITORIES.
+BUT GIVEN THE LOWER LEVEL OF ALLOCATIONS TO THE URBAN DISTRICT BOARDS AT PRESENT, IT IS FELT THAT, ON BALANCE, PRIORITY OUGHT TO BE GIVEN TO THE URBAN DISTRICT BOARDS IN THE COMING FINANCIAL YEAR,+ MRS IP SAID.
OF THE