TNAG-0845-FCO40-1055-Visits-of-Foreign-and-Commonwealth-officials-to-Hong-Kong-1979 — Page 158

CONFIDENTIAL

VISIT OF MR PETER BLAKER MP TO HONG KONG: 23-25 SEPTEMBER 1979

IEF NO. HK6

THE URBAN COUNCIL

The

1. The Urban Council consists of 24 members, 12 elected and 12

appointed by the Governor from among members of the public.

elected members are chosen by a franchise limited by education and

property qualifications to about 440,000 people. Only 12,400 of

those eligible voted in the last Council elections, in March this

year.

2. The Council, which administers its own budget, is responsible

for public health matters and for recreational and cultural facili-

ties in the urban areas of Hong Kong and Kowloon. It was previously

also responsible for a number of other matters, including public

housing, within the urban areas, but lost these functions in 1973

when the Hong Kong Government decided that it was preferable for

such matters to be dealt with by centralised Government agencies

whose responsibilities extend throughout the colony.

3. A list of the present members of the Council is attached.

CAMPAIGN FOR REFORM OF COUNCIL

4. Certain of the elected members, notably Mr Bernacchi, Dr Huang

and Mrs Elliott, would like to see the Council regain its previous

wider powers.

They would also like to see the phasing out of

appointed members, so that the Council would become an entirely

elected body, with an extended franchise. They have also suggested

that there should be a minority of directly elected members in the

Legislative Council.

5. All the available evidence suggests that there is little public

support in Hong Kong for such reforms, although proposals for more

democracy in Hong Kong understandably attract a certain amount of

/sympathy

CONFIDENTIAL