THURSDAY, MAY 17, 1984
DECISION ON LOCAL ADMINISTRATION 'WELL TIMED'
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THE SETTING UP OF A WELL BALANCED LOCAL ADMINISTRATION STRUCTURE AT THE DISTRICT AND REGIONAL LEVEL IS A PERFECTLY LOGICAL AND PROGRESSIVE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PRESENT SYSTEM, THE ACTING SECRETARY FOR DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION, MR IAN MACPHERSON, SAID TODAY (THURSDAY).
HE DESCRIBED AS +WELL TIMED+ THE MOVES TO HAVE DISTRICT BOARDS AT THE DISTRICT LEVEL, AND THE URBAN COUNCIL AND THE NEW REGIONAL COUNCIL AT THE REGIONAL LEVEL BECAUSE THE DISTRICT BOARDS HAVE NOW BEEN FUNCTIONING FOR A REASONABLE TIME AND HAVE SETTLED DOWN AND PROVED THE IR WORTH. +
SPEAKING IN A LUNCHEON TALK TO THE ZONTA CLUB OF THE NEW TERRITORIES, MR MACPHERSON ELABORATED ON GOVERNMENT'S DECISION, ANNOUNCED IN LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL YESTERDAY, TO FURTHER DEVELOP LOCAL ADMINISTRATION.
HE SAID THE WAY WAS CLEAR FOR THE NEXT STEP TO BE TAKEN.
+ONE OF THE IMPORTANT THINGS WE SHALL BE DOING IS TO GET
MORE PEOPLE TO REGISTER AS VOTERS,+ HE SAID.
+EXTENSIVE PUBLICITY WILL BE GIVEN TO VOTER REGISTRATION BETWEEN NOW AND AUGUST WHEN THE REGISTRATION PERIOD BEGINS IN THE HOPE THAT MANY MORE PEOPLE WILL REGISTER IN ORDER TO BE ABLE TO VOTE IN THE MARCH 1985 DISTRICT BOARD ELECTIONS.
+ I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT THE INTEREST GENERATED IN PARTICIPATION IN LOCAL ADMINISTRATION WILL IN ITSELF LEAD TO A VERY SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE IN THE ONE MILLION PEOPLE NOW ON THE REGISTER.
+ANOTHER THING TO BE DONE IN GOOD TIME IS TO ESTABLISH THE NEW DISTRICT BOARD CONSTITUENCIES IN ORDER TO PROVIDE FOR THE GREATER NUMBER OF ELECTED MEMBERS.
+ IN MOST CASES THIS WILL INVOLVE TWO MEMBER CONSTITUENCIES BUT IN SOME, WHERE POPULATION DISTRIBUTION CHANGES HAVE TAKEN PLACE, NEW CONSTITUENCY BOUNDARIES HAVE TO BE DRAWN. THESE HAVE ALREADY BEEN THE SUBJECT OF LOCAL CONSULTATION.+
THE THIRD THING, HE SAID, WAS TO ESTABLISH THE LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK SETTING UP THE PROVISIONAL REGIONAL COUNCIL EARLY NEXT YEAR AND THE FULL COUNCIL BY MARCH OR APRIL IN 1986.
THE NECESSARY ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT MUST ALSO BE IN PLACE IN TIME, HE ADDED.
A FOURTH TASK WOULD BE TO REFINE AND DEFINE THE PRECISE RELATIONSHIP OF THE DISTRICT BOARDS TO THE REGIONAL COUNCIL AT THE DISTRICT LEVEL AND MAKE SURE THAT THE MOST EFFECTIVE SYSTEM IS ESTABLISHED WHICH IS ABLE, WITHIN THE OVERALL POLICY FRAMEWORK, TO TAKE ACCOUNT OF THE PARTICULAR REQUIREMENTS OF EACH DISTRICT, HE SAID.
/MR MACPHERSON