Some Hong Kong lawmakers will still delay funding for major infrastructure projects after blocking reform plan

The death of the government's political reform package will not stop at least the more radical pan-democrats from continuing their policy of non-cooperation, making it likely a series of public works projects will be delayed.

Pan-democrats have sought to slow down discussion of funding requests in the Legislative Council's Finance Committee amid growing animosity with Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying's administration.

That escalated after the decision last August by the National People's Congress Standing Committee to impose a restrictive framework on political reform - leading to the proposal for the 2017 chief executive election that was voted down yesterday.

But while pan-democrats initially vowed to filibuster to protest against reform plans, they also turned their attention to massive cost overruns on some big public works projects.

They said the government had lost control of the budgets for projects such as the cross-border high-speed rail link, the Liantang-Heung Yuen Wai border crossing and the bridge linking Hong Kong with Zhuhai and Macau, and questioned whether they would really benefit the city.

At the beginning of the legislative year in October, the government planned to table 89 funding proposals for public works projects. By its latest meeting on Friday, the Finance Committee had approved 31 of them. Only four more meetings are scheduled before Legco begins its summer recess next month, meaning some are all but certain to be delayed until October.

League of Social Democrats chairman "Long Hair" Leung Kwok-hung said he would continue to hinder funding requests he considered unreasonable.