TNAG-0269-FCO40-305-Reform-of-local-government-of-Hong-Kong-1970 — Page 82

3rd March, 1970

JOINT STATEMENT BY URBAN COUNCIL ELECTED MEMBERS

The elected members of the Urban Council unanimously decided to "walk out" at the Urban Council Meeting on March 3, 1970 in order to express strong concern at the extremely slow pace at which the Government has been considering, let alone taking any decisions on the reform of locla government.

As carly back as April 20, 1966. His excellency the Governor appointed a Working Party to study the future development of local government in Hong Kong. Subsequently, the Working Party issued the "Report of the Working Party on Local "dministration" in November 966.

Before that the Urban Council issued its own "Report of the Ad Hoc Committee on the future scope and operation of the Urban Council" in August 1966. A copy of this report was forward to Government at that time.

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A revised report, commonly known as the, "Dickenson's Revised Report" on Local Government was prepared for consideration by the Governor some time in March 1968. The Urban Council was given the opportunity to comment on certain points of the revised Dickenson's Report and subsequently in March 1969, the Urban Council issued its up- to-date "Report on the Reform of Local Government," a copy of which was immediately despatched to Government.

The elected members of the Urban Council, which is the only governmental body in Hong Kong which has elected representatives have continuously urged the Government to show its good faith by implementing plans for the reform of local government.

Such views were reiterated on every occasion when officials from the United Kingdom Government or British Members of Parliament visited Hong Kong.

The elected members of the Urban Council, after reviewing the record of dilatoriness by the Government in taking positive measures to reform local government during the second half of the past decade, hereby express their great concern at the negative pace a dopted by Government in giving a wider measure of local responsibility to Hong Kong people.

It had been hoped that following the visit of Lord Sheperd to Hong kong, and the visit of the Governor to London in October 1969 for consultations, there would have been some definite indication of what the Government had in mind for the people of Hong Kong by way of local government reform.

It had also been hoped that the Government would have been favourably disposed towards urgently needed local government reforms in view of the full support given by the Unofficial Urban Counillors, clected and appointed alike, at the time of the 1967 disturbances.

As of date, the Government has still not made any substantive statement of how a nd when local government reforms will be introduced.

Being related to the overall future of Hong Kong's four million population, this matter transcends party lines.

The ten clected members of the Urban Council have thereforc unanimously decided that in the public interest they should "walk out" at the March Meeting of the Urban Council.

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