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FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 1985
+ IN PRACTICAL TERMS,+ MR CHEUNG SAID, THE CREATION OF THE COUNCIL IS ALSO INTENDED TO BETTER PLAN, COORDINATE AND IMPROVE THE EXTENSIVE RANGE OF MUNICIPAL SERVICES IN THE NEW TERRITORIES WHICH PREVIOUSLY WERE PROVIDED BY THREE SEPARATE GOVERNMENT
DEPARTMENTS.+
THIS MUST BE WELCOMED NOT ONLY BY THE RESIDENTS IN THE
NEW TERRITORIES BUT ALSO BY INDUSTRIALISTS AND ENTREPRENEURS WHO LOOK TO THE REGION FOR ITS TREMENDOUS POTENTIAL FOR DEVELOPMENT AND EXPANSION OF THE IR INTERESTS, SAID MR CHEUNG.
MEMBERSHIP OF THE REGIONAL COUNCIL WILL BE INCREASED BY 12 ELECTED MEMBERS TO A TOTAL OF 36 WHEN IT BECOMES A FINANCIALLY AUTONOMOUS STATUTORY BODY ON APRIL 1 NEXT YEAR.
MR CHEUNG SAID THE WIDE-SPREAD NATURE OF THE TOWNSHIPS AND THE ON-GOING URBANISATION COULD PRESENT NEW CHALLENGES THAT WERE QUITE DIFFERENT FROM THOSE FACED IN THE URBAN AREAS.
+THE GEOGRAPHICALLY SCATTERED CONCENTRATIONS OF POPULATION MAKES IT EXTREMELY DESIRABLE THAT DECISIONS ON THE PROVISIONS OF MUNICIPAL SERVICES SHOULD BE TAKEN WITH STRONG LOCAL AND DISTRICT LEVEL INPUTS.
+SUCH A COMPOSITION ALSO ENSURES THAT THE PROVISIONAL REGIONAL COUNCIL AND THE FUTURE REGIONAL COUNCIL WILL BENEFIT FROM A MORE CONSTITUTIONAL, ORGANISATIONAL AND FUNCTIONAL LINK WITH THE DISTRICT BOARDS AND THE HEUNG YEE KUK. IT ALSO GUARANTEES THAT NO GROUP OF PEOPLE WILL BE WITHOUT A REPRESENTATIVE TO REFLECT THE IR VIEWS TO THE PROVISIONAL AND, LATER, THE FULL REGIONAL 'COUNCIL ON THE WIDE RANGE OF GOVERNMENT SERVICES AND FACILITIES
TO WHICH THEY ARE ENTITLED.
+AT THIS POINT IN OUR CONSTITUTIONAL DEVELOPMENT, IT WILL BE DIFFICULT INDEED TO DEVISE A BETTER WAY THAT GIVES THE LOCAL PEOPLE A CLOSER INVOLVEMENT AND GREATER INFLUENCE IN THE AFFAIRS OF GOVERNMENT,+ SAID MR CHEUNG.
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE COUNCIL'S POLICY DECISIONS WILL BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF ITS EXECUTIVE ARM - THE REGIONAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT, THE BULK OF WHOSE MANPOWER CAME FROM THE FORMER NEW TERRITORIES SERVICES DEPARTMENT, HE SAID.
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