TNAG-0201-FCO40-237-Local-government-reforms-1969 — Page 128

- 3

I would suggest that annual retirements 5, 6, 6, 6 as suggested would be somewhat inhibiting to continuity and that half the Councillors retiring every two years, with a four year term of office, would be better.

Para. 101 Staff

I agree fully that the Council must have a say in the selection of its own staff, even though the Chief Executive Officer and other senior officers may have to be seconded from government. I am not sure exactly what is the role of the head of the secretariat to whom reference is made; perhaps he has a special place in view of the several functions performed by the Director of Urban Services. I have suggested supra that

the position of Chairman should not be combined with that of C.E.O. I must admit to considerable misgivings over the duality that will remain if the Councils Chief Executive is also head of a government department. C.E.O. to the City Council of Hong Kong must surely be a very important full-time job and it would, I am sure, be worth looking hard at the D.U.S.'s position to see if there can be evolved a satisfactory way by which urban affairs could be administered effectively without his having to wear both departmental and council hats.

Para. 106

While the controls must be clearly laid down they should not be so overdone/over-emphasised as to discourage initiative on the part of council members.

Para. 111

Committee system. I agree that in the circumstances of Hong Kong it would be best to develop the committee system as suggested. The management board system could evolve at a later stage if deemed necessary as and when the council may become a more fully elected body. Delegation of powers to committees inter alia serves a useful educative purpose while maintaining the overall responsibility of full council to which each committee has to report.

Paras. 124-136 New Territories

With the main urban area containing a vast population and a complexity of its own problems, there would seem no question of the Urban Council extending its control into the New Territories where, perhaps, the best opportunity lies of developing a more liberal form of local government than is presently deemed possible in the city. Tsuen Wan it seems generally agreed now merits its own local authority, I certainly think that it should only be with the utmost reluctance that its new council should not contain an elected element, and even more reluctantly that it should not be given a limited number of executive functions to carry out. In so far as an elected element is concerned perhaps thought might be given to regarding Tsuen Wan as an experimental area in which to extend the franchise,

/or