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by the Governor and the other 15 elected on a constituency basis. The Chairman is elected by the Council from among its membership. The elected members automatically have seats on the urban District Boards in whose areas their constituency
lies and the appointed members are also allocated seats on
District Boards.
7. On 15 February, the Chief Secretary announced in the Legislative Council that the Hong Kong Government proposed to establish in 1985 a second, regional council covering the
New Territories with the same powers and functions as the
Urban Council. These proposals are now the subject of public
consultation in Hong Kong.
DISTRICT BOARDS
8. There are 18 District Boards covering the whole territory. They provide a forum for public consultation and participation
at the district level, and have a mainly advisory role with a
substantial influence over district affairs. They are also
allocated public funds for local recreational and cultural
activities and for minor environmental works.
9. The District Boards consist of government officials,
appointed unofficial members, 132 elected members from 122
constituencies, and urban councillors or rural committee
chairmen. They are supported by District Management Committees, consisting of government officials, which are responsible for
servicing their respective District Boards. On 15 February, the Chief Secretary also announced that the Hong Kong Government
proposed to increase the proportion of elected members in
District Boards.
ELECTORAL SYSTEM FOR THE URBAN COUNCIL AND THE DISTRICT BOARDS
10.
All residents aged 21 or above who have been in Hong Kong
for seven or more years are eligible to be registered as electors. There are 904,000 registered electors, out of an estimated total
potential electorate of about 2,700,000. Of these, 709,000 are
resident in the urban areas and can vote at elections for
the Urban Council and for Urban District Boards. The remaining
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