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Alice Wu

Hong Kong’s district councils have unexpectedly been making the news recently, albeit for reasons I suspect were not the intention behind their complete overhaul in 2023.
Once considered a breeding ground for destructive politics, district councils were stripped of any political powers (the Basic Law stipulates they are not intended to be organs of political power). They are now managed by district officers and subject to a monitoring system set up by the government.
The aim is to make them “constructive” organs of effective governance and remove any chance of “sabotaging” the system. Following the reform, there are now only 88 elected district councillors out of 470, with 179 members appointed by the chief executive and another 176 selected by local committees. Rural leaders have 27 seats.
To ensure they are productive, members are measured against some pretty harsh metrics, including attendance at meetings. The aim is to pack their schedules and keep them busy. The government’s obsession with key performance indicators will ensure they deliver, especially in areas deemed a priority by officials.
And, their attendance rates and leave of absence are readily available to the public. These report cards also show what the government has been doing under its own monitoring guidelines for district councils.
After the first year of the current term, the reports look good. More than 98 per cent of members attended all district council meetings or were only absent with the council’s consent. Over 90 per cent of district council members attended all committee and working group meetings. On average, members attended 28 committee and working group meetings.
The Home Affairs Department apparently looks at these numbers as proof that members of the revamped councils have been “diligent in their work”.

However, one district council is now making waves over the first project in a government land sharing scheme to tap into private lots. More than 10 of 22 council members from the Tai Po district have opposed government plans to construct over 1,700 homes in the area, citing insufficient transport capacity.
Councillor Lam Yick-kuen said no one would want to live there as the “location is wrong and puts pressure on residents”. And fellow councillor Wu Cheuk-him argued that the local transport network would not be able to support new residents from the project as the area was already very crowded.
District council opposition to government plans is rare, but that’s not the only reason this should pique our interest. Concerns over issues like transport capacity appear to be a legitimate reason for opposition to new developments. Indeed, they reflect the kind of worries council members have had for years over district-level issues that impact the lives of local residents.
The question we should ask is not why the council has openly expressed its opposition but, rather, why a legitimate concern about transport capacity was not properly addressed much earlier. The district councillors are simply doing their job.

The district officers who serve as council chairs represent the government at the district level. They are responsible for ensuring smooth district-level communication. Traffic capacity is precisely the kind of concern that should have been addressed, preferably behind closed doors, before the planning process even started.
Perhaps these plans were made without district-level input due to the disqualification of previous members. However, while we know that district council members’ work is closely monitored, what about the work of district officers? How are they monitored?
In addition to calling meetings, chairing them and approving leave applications, district officers should “lead and coordinate district governance work within the district”, as well as “collect and follow up on residents’ suggestions”, according to the Home Affairs Department. Traffic concerns definitely fall under their purview.
District officers are also in charge of “care teams” that connect with and care for residents in their districts. However, a recent report on care teams by Chinese University students claimed that one of their reporters witnessed questionable practices – suspected non-members were asked to wear team uniforms for photo ops, ostensibly to give the impression of a larger group.
With the Home Affairs Department reportedly refusing to disclose the work report of the care teams or be interviewed by the Chinese University reporter, the accountability of the teams’ operations has become a matter of concern, especially as they are funded from the public purse.
These are issues that Hong Kong officials must address as part of their efforts to carry out reforms that are supposed to enhance the city’s governance.


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A woman walks past a promotional poster for the 2023 district council elections. Photo: Jelly Tse

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu (second right) and other officials open a ballot box in Hong Kong, on December 11, 2023, after the city’s district council elections were held the previous day. Photo: Kyodo

A view of the site of a proposed development in Tai Po under Hong Kong’s first land-sharing project offering more than 1,700 homes, on January 7. Photo: Jelly Tse 

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Illustration: Craig Stephens

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A layout plan for the proposed housing project in Tai Po. Photo: Handout

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Opinion

Hong Kong Opinion

News

World

Hong Kong

Politics

Society

Tai Po district councillors’ opposition to a government construction plan shows why district officers must be held accountable too


Tai Po district councillors’ opposition to a government construction plan shows why district officers must be held accountable too.


Hong Kong society

Hong Kong transport

Hong Kong housing

Hong Kong political reform

The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Traffic and road safety in Hong Kong

Expresses the views, ideas and conclusions of the author. (Eg. Enough of Crazy Rich Asians, think of crazy poor Hongkongers.)


Is Hong Kong’s revamped district council system working well?

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Tai Po district councillors’ opposition to a government construction plan shows why district officers must be held accountable too

Tai Po district councillors’ opposition to a government construction plan shows why district officers must be held accountable too