Hong Kong’s incoming district councillors must attend 80% of meetings each year and file annual work report, as minister reveals new guidelines
- Home affair chief Alice Mak discusses new requirement after two closed-door briefings, weeks before new district councillors take office on January 1
- District councillors told they must give formal notice if they plan to leave city for more than 48 hours and can face investigative committee over any alleged wrongdoings
Hong Kong’s incoming district councillors should attend at least 80 per cent of general meetings each year and submit an annual work report, the city’s home affairs chief has said, weeks before the officials take their seats on the municipal-level bodies.
The local officials must also give formal notice if they plan to leave the city for more than 48 hours, according to new rules revealed by Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen on Monday.
“The guideline is to ensure our councillors fulfil their duties diligently,” she said.
The Home and Youth Affairs Bureau held two closed-door training sessions for district councillors set to begin their four-year terms on January 1.
Eighty-eight of the 470 office holders were directly elected in a revamped municipal-level poll on December 10 that met with a record-low 27.54 per cent turnout, while another 176 were chosen by area committees.
