17. THE PROPOSAL TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF ELECTED MEMBERS ON
DISTRICT BOARDS HAS BEEN WELCOMED, BUT THERE HAS BEEN NO DEMAND FOR A REDUCTION IN NUMBERS OR ELIMINATION OF THE APPOINTED MEMBERS.
QUITE THE REVERSE. IT IS RECOGNISED. THAT THE APPOINTED MEMBERS
HAVE CONSIDERABLE EXPERIENCE AND MAKE VALUABLE CONTRIBUTIONS TO
THE WORK OF THE BOARDS. THESE VIEWS ARE SHARED BY ELECTED MEMBERS,
THE PUBLIC AND INDEED THE GOVERNMENT ALIKE.
...
18. OUR AIM IS THAT, AFTER THE MARCH 1985 ELECTIONS, THE BALANCE
BETWEEN ELECTED AND APPOINTED MEMBERS WILL BE 2: 1. THIS RATIO
WILL BE APPLIED WITH FLEXIBILITY TO TAKE ACCOUNT OF THE SPECIAL
CIRCUMSTANCES OF SOME OF THE DISTRICTS. THE FOLLOWING. GUIDELINES
WILL BE USED IN DETERMINING THE NUMBER OF ELECTED MEMBERS ON
DISTRICT BOARDS :-
(A) IN THE URBAN DISTRICTS, THERE WILL BE ONE ELECTED SEAT FOR A POPULATION OF 25,000 TO 30,000 PEOPLE:
(B) IN THE NEW TERRITORIES DISTRICTS, BECAUSE OF THE UNEVEN
DISTRIBUTION AND CONTINUING GROWTH OF THEIR POPULATION, THE FORMULA OF ONE ELECTED SEAT FOR 25,000 30,000 PEOPLE WILL BE
APPLIED WITH FLEXIBILITY, TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION DIFFERING
GEOGRAPHICAL, SOCIAL AND POLITICAL CHARACTERISTICS:
(C) WHERE THE DOUBLING OF ELECTED MEMBERS WOULD RESULT IN A DISTRICT
BCARD BECOMING TOO LARGE AND UNWIELDY THE SIZE OF THE BOARD WILL
BE TRIMMED BY REDUCING SLIGHTLY THE OVERALL NUMBER OF MEMBERS WHILE
RETAINING THE 2 : 1 RATIO.
19. THE APPLICATION OF THESE GUIDELINES WILL MEAN THAT IN MARCH 1985
THERE WILL BE 235 DISTRICT BOARD SEATS UP FOR ELECTION COMPARED TO
THE PRESENT 132. THERE WILL BE A VERY SLIGHT REDUCTION IN THE NUMBER
OF APPOINTED MEMBERS FROM 135 TO 132. THERE WILL THEN BE A TOTAL OF
367 UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS.
20. THE SECOND PROPOSAL WAS TO CONSIDER WHETHER SOME OF THE LARGER
DISTRICTS SHOULD BE SPLIT UP.
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21. IN THE OLD URBAN AREAS FIVE OF THE DISTRICTS KWUN TONG, WONG
TAI SIN, KOWLOON CITY, SHAM SHUI PO AND EASTERN EACH HAVE ABOUT
TWICE THE POPULATION OF THE OTHER FIVE DISTRICTS MONG KONG, YAU MA TEI, CENTRAL AND WESTERN, WANCHAL AND SOUTHERN. THE CASE FOR
A SPLIT OF THE LARGER DISTRICTS HAVE BEEN IN EXISTENCE SINCE THE
CITY DISTRICT OFFICER SCHEME WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1968 AND HAVE A
COHERENCE OF THEIR OWN. NONE OF THE DISTRICT BOARDS WANTS TO SPLIT.
SIMILAR OPPOSITION TO CHANGE WAS ENCOUNTERED IN 1980 WHEN THE URBAN
DISTRICT BOARDS WERE FIRST ESTABLISHED. IT WAS SUGGESTED THAT THE
SMALLER DISTRICTS SHOULD BE COMBINED - MONG KOK WITH YAU MA TEI
AND WANCHAT WITH CENTRAL AND WESTERN. NO CHANCE IS PROPOSED.
4 CONFIDENTIAL
/22. THE
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