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81-790: The Urban Council ( UrbCo ) was a municipal council in Hong Kong responsible for municipal services on Hong Kong Island and in Kowloon (including New Kowloon ). These services were provided by the council's executive arm, the Urban Services Department . Later, the equivalent body for the New Territories was the Regional Council . The council was founded as the Sanitary Board in 1883. It

162-477: A Group Representation Constituency (GRC), a Single Member Constituency (SMC), or a collection of neighbouring GRCs and SMCs controlled by the same political party. The Members of Parliament head the town councils of their constituencies. Town councils boundaries do not correspond to new town boundaries; different parts of the same HDB town may be managed by different town councils. In the Republic of China ,

243-501: A municipal council ( French : conseil municipal ), which manage the commune from the mairie ( city hall ), with exactly the same powers no matter the size of the commune and council. The one exception is the city of Paris, where the city police is in the hands of the central state , not in the hands of the mayor of Paris. This uniformity of status is a clear legacy of the French Revolution, which wanted to do away with

324-667: A City by the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994 such as Glasgow City Council . The three cities which are not council areas have no city council. In Wales , where the lowest tier of local government is known as a community , the Community Council may unilaterally declare itself to be a Town Council, but this has the same status as a Community Council. A city council may be: City councils and town boards generally consist of several (usually somewhere between 5 and 51) elected aldermen or councillors . In

405-590: A basis of population) that are entitled to refer to themselves as cities. The official title is "Corporation of the City of ______" or similar. Some of the urban areas of Australia are governed mostly by a single entity (e.g. Brisbane and other Queensland cities), while others may be controlled by a multitude of much smaller city councils. Also, some significant urban areas can be under the jurisdiction of otherwise rural local governments. Periodic re-alignments of boundaries attempt to rationalize these situations and adjust

486-633: A consultative body with some powers of general policy determination. It is composed of a legally determined number of counsellors (for example 35 in Bălți) elected every four years, representing political parties and independent counsellors. Once elected, counsellors may form fractions inside of the Municipal Council. Last regional elections of local public administration held in Bălți in June 2007, brought to

567-667: A large number of Chinese and Westerners to seek their fortune in the city. Its population increased rapidly and the city became overcrowded. The outbreak of bubonic plague in 1894 became a concern to the Hong Kong Government . There was a need to expand the colony to accommodate its growing population. The Qing Dynasty 's defeat in the First Sino-Japanese War had shown that it was incapable of defending itself. Victoria City and Victoria Harbour were vulnerable to any hostile forces launching attacks from

648-626: A member of certain professional organisations as listed in Schedule 1 of the Urban Council Ordinance (Cap. 101, Laws of Hong Kong ). Half of the members of the Urban Council were elected, but by a minority of the population. It was estimated that in 1970 there were 250,000 eligible voters and in 1981 the number had increased to 400,000 – 500,000. Prominent elected Urban Councilors included Elsie Tu and Brook Bernacchi of

729-627: A municipal council represents a special municipality or a provincial city . Members of the councils are elected through municipal elections held every four–five years. Councils for the special municipalities in Taiwan are Taipei City Council , New Taipei City Council , Taichung City Council , Tainan City Council , Kaohsiung City Council and Taoyuan City Council . Councils for the provincial cities in Taiwan are Chiayi City Council , Hsinchu City Council , and Keelung City Council . In Ukraine , almost all cities have their City Councils, and

810-481: A row at the Urban Council and was unpopular with the public. Likewise, the pre-handover government opposed China's decision to disband the two councils and the 18 district boards, and to reintroduce appointed seats, which had been abolished under democratic reforms. The post-Handover Provisional Executive Council met in May 1997 and drafted new legislation that would allow the chief executive-designate to appoint members to

891-708: A significant role in the artistic and cultural development of Hong Kong. It also managed the Urban Council Public Libraries system in Hong Kong Island and Kowloon which, upon the dissolution of the municipal councils, was merged with the Regional Council Public Libraries to form Hong Kong Public Libraries . The Council held the Festival of Asian Arts every year since 1976. The Council also sponsored

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972-479: A similar but separate form of legislature called " Sangguniang Panlungsod " (literally "city council"). The Local Government Code of 1991 established the current local government structure, including municipal councils. City councils range from 12, in most cities, to 38 members, such as the Manila City Council . Members of city councils are called "councilors". The Local Government Act 2001 restyled

1053-496: A similar role as city councils in cities for smaller or low tier municipalities. Directly elected every four years, the number of councillors vary depending on the size of their municipalities. The councillors' powers and responsibilities are governed by the Municipal Act of Ontario. Manitoba town council members serve primarily as a policy and direction board for the community. They consist of five to seven members with

1134-658: A town council. If another type of local council, such as a district authority, covers a single town (such as Luton or Stevenage ) then the council is often a 'borough council': borough status is however conferred at the discretion of the Crown . There is also the London assembly which is City council by default Civil parishes are the most local level in the local government system. The higher levels are district , unitary and county . However town councils are not subordinate in democratic accountability to those higher levels, but to

1215-408: Is led by a mayor ( ordfører ) and is divided into an executive council ( formannskap ) and a number of committees, each responsible for a subsection of tasks. It is not uncommon for some members of the council to sit in the county councils too, but very rare that they also hold legislative ( Storting ) or Government office, without leave of absence . The municipal council dates back to 1837 with

1296-681: Is now located at Chatham Road in Tsim Sha Tsui . The Hong Kong Space Museum presents shows in the Space Theatre and exhibitions on astronomy, nature and space exploration with IMAX techniques. The Council directly financed and often even managed many local arts groups. In 1983, at "An Evening With the Council's Performing Companies" – one of the events in the Urban Council Centenary Celebration –

1377-634: Is the incumbent from 2001 and was re-elected twice: in 2003 during the anticipated elections (as a result of a new reform of the administrative division in Moldova in 2003), and in 2007. In Chișinău, the last mayor elections had to be repeated three times, because of the low rate of participation. As a result, Dorin Chirtoacă (Liberal Party), won the last mayor elections in Chișinău . In the Netherlands,

1458-460: Is the legislative and decision making body of a municipality. A municipality is the local government for a smaller urban area, known as municipal area. The entire district under the Municipality is divided into smaller legislative units known as a ward. The people of the ward elect a councillor known as the municipal councillor, and all such councillors together make the Council. The Council is

1539-514: The ADPL , called the bills a "retrogression of democracy" while Chan Kam-lam of the pro-Beijing DAB claimed that "elections were divisive and appointments would stabilise the community". Also on 1 July, elements of the Urban Council Ordinance and Regional Council Ordinance were repealed to allow the government to determine the composition and tenure of the councils. After the Handover, the council

1620-555: The Hong Kong Public Libraries , and are available online in digitised form. Before 1973, the chairmanship was occupied by the Director of Urban Services: Municipal council Because of the differences in legislation between the states , the exact definition of a city council varies. However, it is generally only those local government areas which have been specifically granted city status (usually on

1701-495: The Local Government Commission in 1989 when approximately 700 councils and special purpose bodies were amalgamated to create 87 new local authorities. As a result, the term "city" began to take on two meanings. The word "city" came to be used in a less formal sense to describe major urban areas independent of local body boundaries. Gisborne , for example, adamantly described itself as the first city in

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1782-463: The Reform Club . The size of the Urban Council is as follows: The electorate and turnout of selected Urban Council elections before the expansion of electoral franchise is as follows: The Green Paper: A Pattern of District Administration in Hong Kong was published on 6 June 1980 for public consultations on reforming local administration in Hong Kong. The Green Paper recommended that: Upon

1863-641: The Urban Council Ordinance (Cap. 101, Laws of Hong Kong ). It was estimated that in 1970 there were 250,000 eligible voters and in 1981 the number had increased to 400,000 – 500,000. In the 1960s, the duties of the Urban Council continued to multiply. City Hall in Central was opened in 1962, followed by the first multi-storey market in Jardine's Bazaar in March 1963. In 1973, the Council

1944-602: The British did not take over the New Territories immediately. During this period, there was no Hong Kong Governor and Wilsone Black acted as administrator. James Stewart Lockhart , the Colonial Secretary of Hong Kong , was sent back from England to make a survey of New Territories before formal transfer. The survey found that the new frontier at Sham Chun River (Shenzhen river) suggested by Wilsone Black

2025-415: The British made concessions to the indigenous inhabitants with regards to land use, land inheritance and marriage laws; the majority of which remained in place into the 1960s when polygamy was outlawed. Some of the concessions with regard to land use and inheritance remain in place in Hong Kong to this day and is a source of friction between indigenous inhabitants and other Hong Kong residents. Lord Lugard

2106-663: The Germans in Qingdao (Tsingtao) and the Russians in Port Arthur. Chinese officials stayed in the walled cities of Kowloon City and Weihaiwei. The extension of Kowloon was called the New Territories. The additional land was estimated to be 365 square miles (950 km ) or 12 times the size of the existing Colonial Hong Kong at the time. Although the convention was signed on the 9 June 1898 and became effective on 1 July,

2187-631: The Governor's proclamation of the takeover date. Fearing for their traditional land rights, in the Six-Day War of 1899 , a number of clans attempted to resist the British, mobilising clan militias that had been organised and armed to protect against longshore raids by pirates. The militia men attempted a frontal attack against the temporary police station in Tai Po that was the main British base but were beaten back by superior force of arms. An attempt by

2268-641: The International Film Festival, which took place annually mid-year and which gave Hong Kong people a rare chance to see a range of international film making, as well as Chinese films. The Independent Short Film and Video Awards were founded in 1993. The Hong Kong Museum of Art regularly exhibits Chinese and Western art and frequently arranges art exchanges with overseas countries. The Hong Kong Museum of History , once housed in Kowloon Park, records local history and oral tradition. It

2349-548: The Legislative and decision-making unit of the Municipality. The head of the council is called a Chairperson, or President, followed by a Vice-chairperson or a Vice-president. All the meetings are conducted and presided over by the President. The state government appoints a Chief Executive Officer or Secretary of the Municipality who is responsible for the day-to-day administration. In cities Municipal Corporation acts as

2430-507: The Leisure and Cultural Services Department when the Urban Council was dissolved. In 2001, the groups were privatised and became limited companies, but still receive funding from the government. The Council operated sports grounds, parks, indoor games halls, and public swimming pools . The Council was responsible for street cleansing, refuse collection, and pest control. It operated refuse collection points, public toilets and bathhouses, and

2511-521: The Municipal Council in Hong Kong Island and Kowloon (including the New Kowloon ) provided municipal services to the covered regions in the then British Hong Kong . Partial elections were allowed in 1887, though merely enabling selected persons to vote for members of the Board. The Board was reconstituted in 1935 and hence renamed as Urban Council in the following year after the government had passed

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2592-596: The Municipal Council serving the New Territories (excluding New Kowloon ) was the Regional Council established as the Provisional Regional Council in 1986. The functional select committees, district committees, and sub-committees constituted the entire Regional Council. All members were elected from the constituencies and district boards . Both of the Municipal Councils in Hong Kong are now defunct. In India,a Municipal council

2673-702: The New Territories Services Department was created (within the Urban Services Department) as a dedicated unit to take up these responsibilities. In 1986, Regional Council was set up to serve the New Territories (excluding New Kowloon ), analogous to the Urban Council. The New Territories Services Department was reorganised to form the Regional Services Department , separate from the USD,

2754-658: The Outlying Islands. It comprises an area of 952 square kilometres (368 sq mi). Nevertheless, New Kowloon has remained statutorily part of the New Territories instead of Kowloon. The New Territories were leased from Qing China by the United Kingdom in 1898 for 99 years in the Second Convention of Peking (The Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory). Upon the expiry of

2835-636: The United States, members of city councils are typically called council member , council man , council woman , councilman , or councilwoman , while in Canada they are typically called councillor . New Territories The New Territories (abbr. N.T. , Chinese : 新界) is one of the three areas of Hong Kong , alongside Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula . It makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong's territory, and contains around half of

2916-481: The Urban Council Ordinance. Democratisation had been implemented, allowing universal suffrage to happen throughout its development. Two years after the Transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong , the council was disbanded in 1999 by the then Chief Executive of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region . All members of the council were elected through universal suffrage by the time of the dissolution. The counterpart of

2997-435: The Urban Council were elected, but by a minority of the population. A voter had to be at least 21 years of age, to have lived in Hong Kong for at least three years and to be qualified in at least one of 23 categories, which included educational qualifications ( School Certificate Examination or equivalent), be a juror, salaried taxpayer, or a member of certain professional organisations. More details can be found in Schedule 1 of

3078-459: The White Paper, which marked an increase by 17 times: The electorate and turnout of selected Urban Council elections after the expansion of electoral franchise are as follows: Changes to the electoral system of unofficial members in the Urban Council are outlined as follows: The Urban Council provided many services to the Hong Kong people over the years. The Urban Services Department was

3159-643: The already expanding range of services provided by the Council. After the Second World War ended in 1945, the Council returned to its pre-war form but without any elected members. The work of the Sanitary Department of the government began to separate out from the medical and health service. On 28 May 1946, the Council met for the first time after the Japanese occupation . It was given power to carry out all its old duties – cleaning, burying

3240-413: The area did not become fully committed until the late 1970s, when many new towns were built to accommodate the population growth from urbanised areas of Kowloon and Hong Kong Island. Despite rapid development of the new towns, which now accommodate a population of over 3 million, the Hong Kong Government confines built-up areas to a few areas and reserves large parts of the region as parkland . As

3321-633: The boundary remain at the Sham Chun River. The new Hong Kong Governor, Henry Blake arrived in November 1898. The date for the takeover of the New Territories was fixed as 17 April 1899, and Tai Po was chosen as the administrative centre. The transfer was not smooth and peaceful. In early April 1899, Captain Superintendent of Police, Francis Henry May and some policemen erected a flagstaff and temporary headquarters at Tai Po and posted

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3402-468: The clansmen at guerilla warfare was put down by the British near Lam Tsuen with over 500 Chinese men killed, and collapsed when British artillery was brought to bear on the walled villages of the clansmen. Most prominent of the villages in the resistance Kat Hing Wai , of the Tang clan , was symbolically disarmed, by having its main gates dismounted and removed. However, in order to prevent future resistance

3483-729: The common areas of Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats and estates, such as the common corridors, void decks , lifts, water tanks, external lighting and the open spaces surrounding the estates. They are regulated under the Town Councils Act ;( Cap. 329A, 2000 Rev. Ed. ). The rationale was to delegate the duties of estate management to the members of parliament in addition to their existing responsibilities. They would also gain management experience and be accountable to their district's resident voters. Town councils boundaries are drawn based on electoral districts boundaries. A town council area can consist of

3564-712: The conclusion of public consultations, the White Paper: District Administration in Hong Kong was published in January 1981. The White Paper solidified expansion of suffrage for Urban Council elections. The Urban Council (Amendment) Ordinance 1981 was subsequently enacted in 1981 to provide for the expansion of electoral franchise and creation of constituencies to the Urban Council election on 8 March 1983 : The electoral franchise were expanded to around 568,000 voters upon implementation of

3645-620: The creation of the Formannskabsdistrikt . In cities, the council is often called a city council ( bystyre ). The Palestinian National Authority established village councils to serve as local administrations and service providers for Palestinian villages and small towns. Village councils are also referred to as D-level municipalities. In the Philippines , all municipalities have their own municipal council, and these are officially called: " Sangguniang Bayan ". Cities have

3726-461: The dead, running bath houses and public lavatories, hawker control – as well as some new ones, such as the use of bathing beaches throughout Hong Kong. Only in May 1952 did elections return to the Urban Council. Two members were elected. Later in 1952, the number of elected members was doubled, their terms of office extended to two years, and the franchise enlarged. By April 1956, half of the members of

3807-568: The deployment of assets and resources. There are currently seven town councils in Belize . Each town council consists of a mayor and a number of councillors, who are directly elected in municipal elections every three years. Town councils in Belize are responsible for a range of functions, including street maintenance and lighting, drainage, refuse collection, public cemeteries, infrastructure, parks and playgrounds. Township councils in Ontario play

3888-414: The electorate of their civil parish area. The chairman of a town council is entitled to be styled as "town mayor". This term contrasts with simply "mayor", which means the mayor of a borough or a city . However, this is often abbreviated simply to mayor, especially where the town was historically a borough or city, such as Lewes or Ely . In Scotland , the term ' provost ' is commonly used to designate

3969-574: The executive arm of the Regional Council. In 1994, the Council became fully elected based on universal and equal adult suffrage. After the transfer of sovereignty on 1 July 1997, the Council's name was changed to Provisional Urban Council , consisting of members of the pre-handover Council, and new members were appointed by the Chief Executive . Elections for unofficial members of the Urban Council were held since 1888. Suffrage

4050-453: The executive branch of the Council to implement policies and services. In 1997, it had about 16,000 employees, according to its published leaflet of 'service promises'. The Council's services included: recreational venues and activities, libraries, museums, cultural and entertainment venues, ticketing, wet markets, hawker registration and control, cremation , street cleansing, issuing licenses, and operating abattoirs. The Urban Council played

4131-535: The expiry date of the lease neared in the 1980s, talks between the United Kingdom and the People's Republic of China led to the signing of the Sino-British Joint Declaration (1984), in which the whole of Hong Kong would be returned, instead of only the New Territories. The New Territories comprises nine districts each with their own District Council : According to the 2021 census ,

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4212-485: The five county boroughs of Dublin , Cork , Galway , Waterford , and Limerick as cities, each with a city council, having the same status in law as county councils. The Local Government Reform Act 2014 amalgamated Limerick City Council and Limerick County Council to form Limerick City and County Council , and Waterford City Council and Waterford County Council to form Waterford City and County Council . In Singapore, town councils are in charge of maintaining

4293-510: The governing body. Municipal councils are parliamentary bodies established in local authorities in accordance with Article 93 of the Constitution of Japan and Article 89 of the Local Autonomy Act , etc. The Yokohama and Osaka City Councils are examples. The Municipal Council in Moldova is the governing body in five municipalities: Chișinău , Bălți , Tiraspol and Bendery (also known as Tighina or Bender ). The Municipal Council ( Moldovan language : Consiliul municipal ) serves as

4374-435: The government department Local Government New Zealand . For many decades until the local government reforms of 1989, a borough with more than 20,000 people could be proclaimed a city . The boundaries of councils tended to follow the edge of the built-up area, so little distinction was made between the urban area and the local government area. New Zealand's local government structural arrangements were significantly reformed by

4455-409: The government had promised that some powers and duties of the Urban Council and Regional Council would be passed to the District Councils, in fact all were taken up by two newly created government departments: the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department , along with the Home Affairs Department . The archives of the two municipal councils are held by

4536-431: The head of council being the mayor or reeve . Municipal councils exist in the People's Republic of China , these are designated as Municipal People's Congress in many sub-provincial cities and direct-administered municipalities such as the Shanghai Municipal People's Congress . In spite of enormous differences in populations, each of the communes of the French Republic possesses a mayor ( French : maire ) and

4617-423: The hills of Kowloon. Alarmed by the encroachment of other European powers in China, Britain also feared for the security of Hong Kong. Using the most favoured nation clause that it had negotiated with Peking, the United Kingdom demanded the extension of Kowloon to counter the influence of France in southern China in June 1898. In July, it secured Weihaiwei in Shandong in the north as a base for operations against

4698-438: The leader of the town council. Historically the term 'town council' was used for the governing body of a municipal borough until the 1972 Act . A city council may be: Belfast City Council is now the only city council. Since the local government reforms of 2015 the other four cities form parts of wider districts and do not have their own councils. A city council is the council of one of four council areas designated

4779-485: The lease, sovereignty was transferred to the People's Republic of China in 1997, together with the Qing-ceded territories of Hong Kong Island and Kowloon Peninsula. In 2021, the population of the New Territories was recorded at 3,984,077, with a population density of 4,140 per square kilometre (10,720/sq mi). Hong Kong Island was ceded to Britain in 1842 and Kowloon south of Boundary Street and Stonecutters Island in 1860. The colony of Hong Kong attracted

4860-423: The local idiosyncrasies and tremendous differences of status that existed in the kingdom of France. The size of a commune still matters, however, in two domains: French law determines the size of the municipal council according to the population of the commune; and the size of the population determines which voting process is used for the election of the municipal council. Established as the Sanitary Board in 1883,

4941-468: The mayors (usually elected by people) are the chairmen of them (e.g.: Kyiv City Council , Kharkiv City Council , Odesa City Council , Lviv City Council , Chernihiv City Council ). In the United Kingdom, not all cities have city councils, and the status and functions of city councils vary. In England , since the Local Government Act 1972 , "town council" is the specific name given to a civil parish council which has declared itself by resolution to be

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5022-431: The municipal council (Dutch: gemeenteraad ) is the elected assembly of the municipality. It consists of between 9 and 45 members (as determined by law) who are elected by the citizens once every four years. The council's main tasks are setting the city's policies and overseeing the execution of those policies by the municipality's executive board . Local councils in New Zealand do vary in structure, but are overseen by

5103-403: The new provisional bodies. Three bills re-introducing appointed seats to the post-Handover municipal councils and district boards were passed by the provisional legislature on 7 June 1997. The Urban Council, Regional Council and District Boards (Amendment) Bills 1997 stipulated that Tung Chee-hwa could appoint no more than 50 seats to the provisional municipal councils. Frederick Fung , chairman of

5184-403: The not too distant future we hope to see Hong Kong recognised as a major international centre of the performing arts." The Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra was established in 1977, under direct financial support and management by the Urban Council. The Hong Kong Repertory Theatre was also founded in 1977 and was directly financed and administered by the Urban Council. It aims to promote and raise

5265-466: The population of Hong Kong. Historically, it is the region described in the Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory . According to that treaty, the territories comprise the mainland area north of Boundary Street on the Kowloon Peninsula and south of the Sham Chun River (which is the border between Hong Kong and Mainland China ), as well as over 200 outlying islands , including Lantau Island , Lamma Island , Cheung Chau , and Peng Chau in

5346-544: The population of the New Territories was 3,984,077, representing 53.7% of Hong Kong's total population. 90.4% of the residents of New Territories use Cantonese as their main language. 3.5% of its residents use English , 2.0% use Mandarin Chinese , and 2.3% of New Territories' residents use other Chinese dialects. 93.1% of the district's population is of Chinese descent. The largest ethnic minority groups are Filipinos (2.1%), Indonesians (1.8%), South Asians (1.1%), Mixed (0.8%) and Whites (0.7%). New Kowloon covers

5427-451: The power the Party of Communists of the Republic of Moldova (PCRM), which holds 21 mandates, 11 mandates are held by representatives of other parties, and 3 mandates by independents. There are two fractions in the Municipal Council: PCRM fraction (21 counsellors) and "Meleag" fraction (3 independent counsellors and 4 representatives of different parties). The Mayor of the municipality is elected for four years. In Bălți, Vasile Panciuc (PCRM)

5508-440: The public. The Urban Council celebrated its centenary in 1983, with the Urban Council Centenary Garden in Tsim Sha Tsui East named to commemorate the occasion. In the 1960s, the council proposed that its jurisdiction should be expanded to encompass the entire colony, but this was not accepted. The Urban Services Department already provided services in the New Territories despite the council not having jurisdiction there. In 1979,

5589-435: The standards of the theatrical "stage play" drama in Cantonese in the territory with professional actors, directors, playwrights, administration, training and production. The Hong Kong Dance Company was established in May 1981, and was at one time directly administered by the Urban Council. It aims to combine classical and folk traditions of China with contemporary international awareness. These groups were later taken over by

5670-417: The territory of Hong Kong. Later, after New Kowloon was defined from the area between the Boundary Street and the Kowloon Ranges spanned from Lai Chi Kok to Lei Yue Mun , and the extension of the urban areas of Kowloon, New Kowloon was gradually urbanised and absorbed into Kowloon. The New Territories now comprises only the mainland north of the Kowloon Ranges and south of the Sham Chun River, as well as

5751-417: The then-council chairman Hilton Cheong-Leen said, "Together with the Government, the Urban Council is committed to the development of the arts in Hong Kong. We aim to do so at the professional level so that gifted Hong Kong citizens can develop their artistic potential. We also aim to make available to all members of the community a wide range of artistic performance for their enjoyment and appreciation. And in

5832-536: The world to see the new millennium. Gisborne is administered by a district council, but its status as a city is not generally disputed. Under the current law, the minimum population for a new city is 50,000. The municipal council ( Norwegian : Kommunestyre ), literally municipal board, is the highest governing body of the municipality in Norway . The municipal council sets the scope of municipal activity, takes major decisions, and delegates responsibility. The council

5913-474: Was Governor from 1907 to 1912, and he proposed the return of Weihaiwei to the Chinese government, in return for the ceding of the leased New Territories in perpetuity. The proposal was not received favourably, although if it had been acted on, Hong Kong might have remained forever in British hands. Much of the New Territories was, and to a limited extent still is, made up of rural areas. Attempts at modernising

5994-491: Was disbanded and replaced with the Provisional Urban Council, which comprised pre-Handover councillors plus new members appointed by the new government. The same was done with the Regional Council. The government then announced that the councils would be abolished in 1999. Both councils jointly objected to this plan, putting forward an alternative merger proposal entitled "One Council, One Department", which

6075-425: Was far from ideal. It excluded the town of Shenzhen (Sham Chun), and the boundary would divide the town. There was no mountain range as a natural border. Lockhart suggested moving the frontier to the line of hills north of Shenzhen. This suggestion was not received favourably and the Chinese official suggested the frontier be moved to the hill much further south of the Sham Chun River. It was settled in March 1899 that

6156-578: Was first established as the Sanitary Board in 1883. In 1887, a system of partial elections was established, allowing selected individuals to vote for members of the Board. On 1 March 1935, the Sanitary Board was reconstituted to carry out the work which remained much the same until the Second World War broke out. The board was renamed the Urban Council in 1936 when the government passed the Urban Council Ordinance, which gave legal motive to

6237-440: Was not accepted by the government. Both councils were dissolved on 31 December 1999 as planned. Within days of the dissolution of the Urban Council, its distinctive symbol was systematically removed from public sight, such as by pasting over it with paper on all litter bins and information boards. Shortly afterwards, all the litter bins were themselves discarded, replaced by a similar design, but in green rather than purple. Although

6318-416: Was renamed the Urban Council when new legislation was passed in 1936 expanding its mandate. In 1973 the council was reorganised under non-government control and became financially autonomous. Originally composed mainly of ex-officio and appointed members, by the time the Urban Council was disbanded following the Handover it was composed entirely of members elected by universal suffrage . The Urban Council

6399-507: Was reorganised under non-government control. It was given financial autonomy, which meant the budget could be planned without the approval of the Legislative Council. It was also no longer primarily in charge of housing. From then onwards, there were no government officials on the Council and both the chairman and vice-chairman were elected among the 24 members. At the time, the Council was unique in consisting solely of members of

6480-614: Was responsible for rubbish bins throughout the urban area. It was also responsible for the control of hawkers, issuing hawker licences and operating hawker bazaars. In early 1997, chief executive-designate Tung Chee-hwa announced that the two municipal councils would be disbanded on 1 July 1997 ( the Handover ) and replaced by two provisional councils, with members appointed by the government, that would serve until elections in 1999. Tung said that those reappointed must "love China [and] love Hong Kong" and refused to clarify whether democratic politicians met this definition. The announcement caused

6561-405: Was restricted to residents on the special and common jury lists between 1888 and 1973. In 1973, the electoral franchise was widened to residents above 21 years of age who have lived in Hong Kong for at least three years that qualified in at least one of 23 specified categories, which included educational qualifications (School Certificate Examination or equivalent), be a juror, salaried taxpayer, or

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