CONFIDEN TIAL
18.
At the beginning of 1985 the electoral roll carried over 1.4
million names, representing 49% of an estimated total potential
electorate of 2.9 million. Of those registered, over 995, ,000 were
resident in the urban areas and thus en titled to vote at Urban
Council elections and a t District Board elections for urban area
constituencies; over 426,000 were resident in the New Territories
and entitled to vote at District Board election s in the New
Territories and at elections for the new Regional Council
in March 1986.
to be held
(b)
Urban Council
19.
The Urban Council, which has had elected members since soon
after its inception in the 1880 s as the Sanitary Board, had its
elected membership increased to 12 members in 1973 when it was
reconstituted as a statutory body with financial autonomy.
became the only government body which both exercised executive
powers and included elected members. In 1983 the franchise was
It
widened and rearranged on a constituency basis, and the Urban
Council's membership was increased from 24 to 30. 15 of its members
are elected, and 15 are appointed by the Governor.
(c) Regional Council
20.
The
A new Regional Council to cover the non-urban areas and to
perform functions similar to those of the Urban Council, was
proposed at the same time as the reforms for the District Boards.
Hong Kong Government's aim was to obtain greater public
participation in the provision of services in the New Territories,
particularly in view of
view of the large increase in population in the new
towns, both actual and expected and also to correct the
the anomaly of a
partly-elected Urban Council providing a wide range
of services to
the public in the urban areas, while similar services were provided
to the public
the New Territories by a Hong Kong Government
department.
in
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CONFIDEN TIAL
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