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CONSTITUTION AND ADMINISTRATION

Unofficial members keep themselves apprised of developments on the ground by making regular visits to government departments and to urban and New Territories districts. These visits usually conclude with informal wide ranging discussions with government officials and representatives of the local communities. A full record of the work of UMELCO is contained in its annual report.

Urban Council and District Administration

Urban Council

The Urban Council is a statutory body comprising 24 members, 12 of whom are elected from a territory-wide limited franchise and 12 appointed by the Governor. The council's jurisdiction is restricted to the urban area.

The council, which derives its authority from the Urban Council Ordinance, is charged with a number of mandatory functions and also has a number of permissive roles. Amongst its mandatory functions are responsibilities for environmental sanitation such as cleaning the streets, the control of hygiene in restaurants and food shops, and the operation of markets and abattoirs. Other functions involve recreation and cultural activities, including the building and control of swimming pools, tennis courts, stadia, parks and playgrounds, the management of the City Hall, public libraries, museums and bathing beaches. The council also acts as the Liquor Licensing Board in the urban area, and is responsible for the issue of Public Entertainment Licences. It is also charged with the control and licensing of the several tens of thousands of urban street traders.

The executive arm of the council is the Urban Services Department, whose director is its principal executive officer. The department is responsible for carrying out the council's policies and decisions. The council is financially autonomous. It receives approximately 75 per cent of its revenue from an eight per cent rate, the balance of its finances being derived from entrance fees, licence fees, and similar fees. Its revenue for the 1982-3 financial year is expected to be in the region of $1,200 million. The full council meets in public normally once a month; it conducts its day-to-day business through 12 select committees and 15 sub-committees.

Although its powers and responsibilities will remain unchanged, 1982 brought a change in the structure of the council. In April 1983 the number of elected councillors will be increased to 15, to be elected from a very wide franchise and to be returned from constituencies based on urban district board boundaries. The number of members appointed by the Governor will likewise be increased to 15. In future, the chairman will need to be elected by the council from among its membership; the present legislation does not lay down this requirement, although even under the present rules members have always elected one of their own number as chairman.

All councillors are currently appointed to the various urban district boards, but as from April 1983 elected members will automatically have seats on the urban district board in whose area their constituency lies. The council will similarly allocate appointed members to district boards, two to a large board and one to a small one. All councillors have individual or collective ward offices in which they deal with complaints and give assistance to the public on a wide variety of matters, even outside the work of the council.

District Administration

1982 saw the implementation of the main proposals of the White Paper on District Administration through the establishment of district management committees and district