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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Fundamentally, the Council's policy towards all the ten District Boards in the urban area has to be on the basis of fairness and reasonableness, ensuring that the views of each District are properly considered by the functional select committees concerned in the light of available resources, and ensuring that the Council's statutory responsibilities will be applied in an integrated and coordinated manner throughout the urban area, yet with sufficient flexibility to meet the special characteristics or requirements of each District.
Paragraph 4(b) of the Statement of Aims states the need 'To formulate guidelines for Urban Council Members on their responsibilities as Councillors when involved in District Board work'.
Depending on the population size of each District Board, there are two and four Urban Councillors assigned to each of the District Boards respectively.
Broadly speaking, the Urban Councillors on each District Board seek to ensure that Council's policies are well understood by the District Board, and that the District Board's concerns and views are reflected back to the Urban Council. Furthermore, Urban Councillors are enjoined to look out for additional responsibilities and opportunities to strengthen cooperation between the Council and the District Board.
In this respect, I urge Councillors to attend as often as possible, functions or activities within their respective districts, so as to maintain a good support not only with District Board members but with residents in the districts as well.
In this respect again, the steps for the USD play an active, supporting and valuable role, bearing in mind that the USD has the responsibilities of implementing Council's policies.
Paragraph 4(c) of the Statement of Aims stresses the need: 'To examine District Board proposals which have direct bearing on the policies and responsibilities of the Council'.
Once a year, Mr. Chairman, when the Urban Council reviews its Capital Works Programme, all the District Boards are consulted on the items in the Programme relating to their District. Quite often, District Boards make suggestions either to upgrade or change the priority on some capital works items in their District. Quite a number of the suggestions are accepted, and if any are not accepted, the reasons therefore are carefully explained to the District Board.
There is in addition an ongoing dialogue at the Committee level of each District Board on matters relating to street cleansing, environmental hygiene, recreation, culture and sports promotion, involving interaction by District Board Councillors, Urban Councillors and USD staff. I might also mention that the USD sends representatives to meetings of the Area Committees, which are coordinated by the City District Office. At these meetings, mostly problems concerning environmental hygiene, street cleansing, multi-storey building drainage matters, recreation, etc. are raised for action by USD staff.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
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Paragraph 4(d) of the Statements of Aims seeks: 'To coordinate the views of members of the Urban Council on specific problems encountered in District Boards which affect the Urban Council'.
Without going into details, I should mention that the District Relations Select Committee has in recent months discussed and successfully coordinated the various views proposed, and guide-lines and approaches in the resolution of thorny specific problems at the district level, some examples of which had to do with proposals for a Cultural Centre in Kwun Tong, and upgrading the rebuilding of the Wong Nei Chung Market in Wan Chai.
I would suggest that to enhance this ongoing relationship between Urban Councillors and District Board Councillors, an important factor is the spirit of mutual understanding, mutual cooperation and a consensus view in jointly working to overcome district problems.
Paragraph 4(e) in the Statement of Aims enjoins Urban Councillors: 'To maintain the harmonious relationship between the Urban Council and the district residents'.
Mr. Chairman, this objective of the District Relations Select Committee applies both to elected Urban Councillors who are elected in their respective Districts, and to appointed Urban Councillors who accept appointment to specified District Boards.
I take this opportunity to emphasize that both elected and appointed Urban Councillors jointly have responsibility to ensure that Council's work is satisfactorily carried out in each District, and that the complaints and suggestions of district residents, whether they are reflected direct to Urban Councillors or via District Board Councillors, are carefully studied and followed through where applicable by relevant Select Committees and the USD. And yet as an Urban Councillor, he or she should not lose sight of the fact that the Council's responsibility is to the whole urban area, and therefore allocation of financial resources, manpower and programmes have to be allocated in a balanced and fair manner to all ten urban districts.
The more effectively an Urban Councillor can project and coordinate the Council's role in his or her District, with the support and cooperation of the District Board and the USD the more will the Urban Council's role be better understood and appreciated by district residents.
I think, Mr. Chairman, it is only natural that some District Board Councillors are keen on taking over all or part of the functions and responsibilities of the Urban Council. But if one were to look dispassionately at the present evolving political structure of Hong Kong, and bearing in mind that the District Board system was established only in recent years by way of consultative bodies, I would suggest that the wisest approach vis-a-vis Urban Council-District Board relationship is to proceed 'one step forward at a time'.
Page 119 of 201
Page 119 of 201
İ
196
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Fundamentally, the Council's policy towards all the ten District Boards in the urban area has to be on the basis of fairness and reasonableness, ensuring that the views of each District are properly considered by the functional select committees concerned in the light of available resources, and ensuring that the Council's statutory responsibilities will be applied in an integrated and coordinated manner throughout the urban area, yet with sufficient flexibility to meet the special characteristics or requirements of each District.
Paragraph 4(b) of the Statement of Aims states the need 'To formulate guidelines for Urban Council Members on their responsibilities as Councillors when involved in District Board work'.
Depending on the population size of each District Board, there are two and four Urban Councillors assigned to each of the District Boards respectively.
Broadly speaking, the Urban Councillors on each District Board seek to ensure that Council's policies are well understood by the District Board, and that the District Board's concerns and views are reflected back to the Urban Council. Furthermore, Urban Councillors are enjoined to look out for additional responsibilities and opportunities to strengthen cooperation between the Council and the District Board.
In this respect, I urge Councillors to attend as often as possible, functions or activities within their respective districts, so as to maintain a good support not only with District Board members but with residents in the districts as well.
In this respect again, the steps for the USD play an active, supporting and valuable role, bearing in mind that the USD has the responsibilities of implementing Council's policies.
Paragraph 4(c) of the Statement of Aims stresses the need: 'To examine District Board proposals which have direct bearing on the policies and responsibilities of the Council'.
Once a year, Mr. Chairman, when the Urban Council reviews its Capital Works Programme, all the District Boards are consulted on the items in the Programme relating to their District. Quite often, District Boards make suggestions either to upgrade or change the priority on some capital works items in their District. Quite a number of the suggestions are accepted, and if any are not accepted, the reasons therefore are carefully explained to the District Board.
There is in addition an ongoing dialogue at the Committee level of each District Board on matters relating to street cleansing, environmental hygiene, recreation, culture and sports promotion, involving interaction by District Board Councillors, Urban Councillors and USD staff. I might also mention that the USD sends representatives to meetings of the Area Committees, which are coordinated by the City District Office. At these meetings, mostly problems concerning environmental hygiene, street cleansing, multi-storey building drainage matters, recreation, etc. are raised for action by USD staff.
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Page 119 of 201
197
Paragraph 4(d) of the Statements of Aims seeks: 'To coordinate the views of members of the Urban Council on specific problems encountered in District Boards which affect the Urban Council'.
Without going into details, I should mention that the District Relations Select Committee has in recent months discussed and successfully coordinated the various views proposed, and guide-lines and approaches in the resolution of thorny specific problems at the district level, some examples of which had to do with proposals for a Cultural Centre in Kwun Tong, and upgrading the rebuilding of the Wong Nei Chung Market in Wan Chai.
I would suggest that to enhance this ongoing relationship between Urban Councillors and District Board Councillors, an important factor is the spirit of mutual understanding, mutual cooperation and a consensus view in jointly working to overcome district problems.
Paragraph 4(e) in the Statement of Aims enjoins Urban Councillors: 'To maintain the harmonious relationship between the Urban Council and the district residents'.
Mr. Chairman, this objective of the District Relations Select Committee applies both to elected Urban Councillors who are elected in their respective Districts, and to appointed Urban Councillors who accept appointment to specified District Boards.
I take this opportunity to emphasize that both elected and appointed Urban Councillors jointly have responsibility to ensure that Council's work is satisfactorily carried out in each District, and that the complaints and suggestions of district residents, whether they are reflected direct to Urban Councillors or via District Board Councillors, are carefully studied and followed through where applicable by relevant Select Committees and the USD. And yet as an Urban Councillor, he or she should not lose sight of the fact that the Council's responsibility is to the whole urban area, and therefore allocation of financial resources, manpower and programmes have to be allocated in a balanced and fair manner to all ten urban districts.
The more effectively an Urban Councillor can project and coordinate the Council's role in his or her District, with the support and cooperation of the District Board and the USD the more will the Urban Council's role be better understood and appreciated by district residents.
I think, Mr. Chairman, it is only natural that some District Board Councillors are keen on taking over all or part of the functions and responsibilities of the Urban Council. But if one were to look dispassionately at the present evolving political structure of Hong Kong, and bearing in mind that the District Board system was established only in recent years by way of consultative bodies, I would suggest that the wisest approach vis-a-vis Urban Council-District Board relationship is to proceed 'one step forward at a time'.
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