XN000022-1985-06-26 — Page 24

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WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 1985

SIR DAVID POINTED OUT THAT THIS WOULD MEAN THAT THE PRESENT REPRESENTATIVE MEMBERS WOULD HOLD OFFICE UNTIL AN ORDINARY DISTRICT BOARD ELECTION IN APRIL 1988.

HE SAID THAT TO ENSURE A SMOOTH TRANSITION, IT IS INTENDED THAT SOME, IF NOT ALL, OF THE 12 APPOINTED MEMBERS SERVING ON THE PROVISIONAL REGIONAL COUNCIL SHOULD BE THE APPOINTED MEMBERS OF THE REGIONAL COUNCIL FOR A PERIOD YET TO BE DECIDED.

+ONE POSSIBILITY WOULD BE TO MAKE THE INITIAL APPOINTMENTS FOR ONE YEAR ONLY TO MARCH 31, 1987. IF THIS WERE DONE, THEN ROUGHLY ONE THIRD OF THE MEMBERS OF THE REGIONAL COUNCIL WOULD BE LIABLE TO BE CHANGED AT THE END OF MARCH EACH YEAR.

+THUS, OF THE ORIGINAL TERS OF OFFICE, THOSE OF APPOINTED MEMBERS WOULD EXPIRE IN MARCH 1967, THOSE OF REPRESENTATIVE MEMBERS IN MARCH 1988, AND THOSE OF DIRECTLY ELECTED MEMBERS IN MARCH 1989.

+THIS WOULD ENSURE A DEGREE OF CONTINUITY OF MEMBERSHIP ON THE COUNCIL WHICH, IT IS BELIEVEL

IT IS BELIEVED, ILL BE OF PARTICULAR BENEFIT IN THE EARLY YEARS OF THE COUNCIL'S EXISTENCE,+ HE SAID.

SIR DAVID SAID ELECTION OF THE CHAIRMAN AND VICE-CHAIRMAN OF THE REGIONAL COUNCIL BY THE MEMBERS FROM AMONG THEMSELVES BY SECRET BALLOT ON AN ABSOLUTE MAJORITY VOTING SYSTEM WOULD TAKE PLACE AT THE FIRST MEETING OF THE REGIONAL COUNCIL HELD AFTER MARCH 31 IN A YEAR THE DIRECTLY ELECTED MEMBERS WERE ELECTED.

+THIS MEANS THAT IN NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES A CHAIRMAN AND VICE-CHAIRMAN WILL BE ELECTED AT THREE-YEARLY INTERVALS, BEGINNING IN APRIL 1986.

+HOWEVER IF AN OFFICER SC ELECTED IS A DISTRICT BOARD REPRESENTATIVE OR APPOINTED MEMBER WITH A LESSER TERM OF MEMBERSHIP REMAINING, His CONTINUANCE IN OFFICE BEYOND HIS TERM OF MEMBERSHIP WILL DEPEND ON RE-ELECTION OR REAPPOINTMENT AS THE CASE MAY BE, HE SAID.

HE NOTED THAT BOTH CHAIRMAN AND VICE-CHAIRMAN WOULD BE ELIGIBLE FOR RE-ELECTION UPON COMPLETION OF THEIR THREE-YEAR TERM OF OFFICE.

ELABORATING ON PART V OF THE BILL WHICH SET OUT THE POWERS AND FUNCTIONS OF THE REGIONAL COUNCIL, SIR DAVID SAID THE DRAFT BILL DIFFERED IN ONE SIGNIFICANT RESPECT FROM THE URBAN COUNCIL ORDINANCE, UNDER WHICH ALL THE URBAN COUNCIL'S POWERS WERE RESTRICTED TO THE URBAN AREAS.

→THIS HAS BEEN FOUND TO BE UNDULY LIMITING. THERE ARE, ON OCCASIONS, ACTIVITIES HICH THE URBAN COUNCIL PROPERLY WISHE TO ORGANISE OUTSIDE THE URBAN AREAS AND IT IS LIKELY THAT THE REGIONAL COUNCIL WILL WISH T. ORGANISE SIMILAR ACTIVITIES, SUCH AS MUSEUM VISITS, FO ITS CONSTITUENTS.

J

/+THEREFORE, UNDER