RESTRICTED
4. DURING THE COURSE OF THIS REVIEW THE DISTRICT BOARDS THEM- SELVES, AT A SERIES OF MEETINGS, HAVE BEEN GIVEN AN OPPORTUNITY TO EXPRESS THEIR OWN VIEWS AND IDEAS FOR THE FURTHER DEVELOPMENT
OF DISTRICT ADMINISTRATION.
5. AS A RESULT OF THE REVIEW, THE GOVERNMENT HAS NOW COME TO CERTAIN CONCLUSIONS. THE NEXT DISTRICT BOARD ELECTIONS ARE DUE TO BE HELD IN MARCH 1985 AND THE GOVERNMENT'S (NEXT WORD UNDER- LINED) FIRST CONCLUSION IS THAT THE REPRESENTATIVE STATUS OF THE BOARDS SHOULD THEN BE STRENGTHENED BY INCREASING THE SIZE OF THE ELECTED ELEMENT. IN DISTRICTS WHERE THE POPULATION LEVEL IS ALREADY RELATIVELY STABLE, IT IS PROPOSED THAT, AS FROM 1985, THE NUMBER OF ELECTED MEMBERS SHOULD BE DOUBLE THAT OF APPOINTED MEMBERS. BUT IN DISTRICTS WHERE THE SIZE OF THE POPULATION IS STILL ON THE INCREASE (FOR EXAMPLE, THE NEW TOWN OF SHATIN), THIS RATIO OF ELECTED MEMBERS TO APPOINTED MEMBERS MIGHT BE BEST ACHIEVED PROGRESSIVELY OVER THE YEARS AS THE POPULATION INCREASES. ALSO, IN SOME DISTRICTS, TO HAVE THE NUMBER OF ELECTED MEMBERS DOUBLE THE NUMBER OF APPOINTED MEMBERS MIGHT RESULT IN A BOARD WHICH WAS TOO LARGE AND UNWIELDY, IN WHICH CASE THE SIZE OF THE BOARD COULD BE SCALED DOWN, WHILST RETAINING THE SAME 2 1 RATIO OF ELECTED TO APPOINTED MEMBERS.
6. THE (NEXT WORD UNDERLINED) SECOND CONCLUSION OF THE REVIEW IS THAT, INASMUCH AS SOME DISTRICTS (FOR EXAMPLE, TSUEN WAN) ARE LARGE AND COMPLEX CONURBATIONS, IT MAY BE DESIRABLE IN THESE DISTRICTS TO CREATE BOARDS TO SERVE SMALLER GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS. BUT THE IMPLICATIONS OF THIS CONCLUSION WILL OBVIOUSLY NEED TO
BE EXAMINED IN SOME DETAIL.
7. THE (NEXT WORD UNDERLINED) THIRD CONCLUSION OF THE REVIEW IS THAT, AS DISTRICT BOARDS HAVE ALREADY MADE AN IMPACT ON THE MANAGEMENT OF OUR DENSELY POPULATED URBAN AREAS, IT IS FOR CONSIDERATION WHETHER THIS URBAN MANAGEMENT ROLE SHOULD BE DEV- ELOPED. IN ADDITION, DISTRICT BOARDS MIGHT BE ABLE TO ASSIST IN THE MANAGEMENT, AND IN THE PROMOTION OF THE USE OF, CERTAIN FACILITIES LOCATED IN THEIR DISTRICTS, OTHER THAN SPECIALIST FACILITIES, WHICH HAVE BEEN PROVIDED FOR THE BENEFIT OF RESIDENTS IN THEIR DISTRICTS. DETAILED EXAMINATION WILL BE GIVEN TO THESE AND OTHER IDEAS WHICH THE BOARDS THEMSELVES HAVE SUGGESTED, INCLUDING THE NEED TO STRENGTHEN THE LINKS BETWEEN DISTRICT BOARDS AND DISTRICT MANAGEMENT COMMITTEES. -2-
RESTRICTED
18.
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