The district councils, formerly district boards until 1999, are the local councils for the 18 districts of Hong Kong.

History

Before establishment

An early basis for the delivery of local services were the Kaifong associations, set up in 1949.  However, by the 1960s, these had ceased to represent local interests, and so, in 1968, the government established the first local administrative structure with the city district offices, which were intended to enable it to mobilise support for its policies and programmes, such as in health and crime-reduction campaigns. An aim was also to monitor the grass roots, following the 1967 riots.

Under the Community Involvement Plan, launched in the early 1970s, Hong Kong and Kowloon were divided into 74 areas, each of around 45,000 people.  For each, an 'area committee' of twenty members was then appointed by the city district officers, and was comprised, for the first time, of members from all sectors of the local community, led by an unofficial member of the Legislative Council (Legco). The initial purpose was to help implement the 'Clean Hong Kong' campaign, by distributing publicity material to local people. This was held to be a success.

A next stage in the government's effort to increase local engagement and influence was the setting up, in June 1973, of mutual aid committees (MACs) in high-rise residential buildings.  These were described in Legco as "a group of responsible citizens, resident in the same multi-storey building who work together to solve common problems of cleanliness and security."  In fact, they were tightly controlled by the government.  With government encouragement, the number of such committees increased rapidly in these private buildings, from 1,214 in 1973 to 3,463 in 1980. The scheme was extended to public housing estates, of which 800 had MACs in 1980, as well as factories and in the New Territories.

The next development was the establishment of eight district advisory boards in the districts of the New Territories, starting with Tsuen Wan in 1977. The boards, whose members were appointed, were more formally constituted than the city district boards, charged with advising on local matters, recommending minor district works, and conducting cultural and recreational activities.

Establishment to present
Then in 1982, under the governorship of Sir Murray MacLehose, the district boards were established under the District Administration Scheme. The aim was to improve co-ordination of government activities in the provision of services and facilities at the district level and the boards initially took over the roles of the district advisory boards.

At first, the boards comprised only appointed members and government officials, but from 1982, a proportion of each was elected. In an attempt to inject a democratic element into the Legislative Council, the government introduced a model where some legislators were elected indirectly by members of the district councils. Twelve legislators were returned by an 'electoral college' of district councillors in 1985. The practice was repeated in 1988 and 1995.

After the HKSAR was established in 1997, as part of the "through train", the district boards became provisional district boards, composed of all the original members of the boards supplemented by others appointed by the chief executive. (Under the British administration, the Governor had refrained from appointing any member.)

Later in early 1999 a bill was passed in the Legislative Council providing mainly for the establishment, composition and functions of the District Councils, which would replace the Provisional District Boards.  The 27 ex officio seats of Rural Committees, abolished by the colonial authorities, were reinstated. The government rejected any public survey or referendum on the issue, saying that it had been studying the issue since 1997, and had received 98 favourable submissions.  The self-proclaimed pro-democracy camp dubbed the move "a setback to the pace of democracy" because it was a throwback to the colonial era.

In 2010, the government proposed that five legislators be added to district council functional constituencies, and be elected by proportional representation of elected DC members. In a politically controversial deal between the Democratic Party and the Beijing government, this was changed to allow the five seats to be elected by those members of the general electorate who did not otherwise have a functional constituency vote.

Under the district councillor appointment system, 102 district councillors out of 534 were picked by the Chief Executive, while the remainder were democratically elected by voters in each district. The system was abolished in 2013, and the new District Councils after the 2015 election no longer have appointed members.

In 2023, the government proposed to cut the direct elect seats of district councilors from 452 to 88 seats while the total seats cut from 479 to 470 seats.  Besides, all district councilors candidate who opt for election must be vetted and passed by the new District Council Eligibility Review Committee.  The proposal has been approved by Legislative Council in July 2023.

Operation

Functions 
The councils are mandated to advise the Government on the following:

 matters affecting the well-being of people in the District;
 the provision and use of public facilities and services within the District;
 the adequacy and priorities of Government programmes for the District;
 the use of public funds allocated to the District for local public works and community activities; and

District councils also undertake the following within the respective districts with its available funds allocated by the government:

 environmental improvements;
 the promotion of recreational and cultural activities; and
 community activities

Councils 

There is a district council for each of the following eighteen districts. The number in parentheses corresponds to the number shown on the map at the right.

Composition 

Following revamp of District Councils announced by the Government in 2023, the number of the elected seats is significantly reduced to around 20%, while each of the 40 per cent of the seats will be returned by indirect elections and by revived government's appointment. Single non-transferable vote replaced "first past the post" system, as previously implemented in the 2021 reform.

Before the drastic change, there were a total of 479 district council members in the sixth District Councils. Except 27 ex-officio seats occupied by Chairmen of Rural Committees in the New Territories, all were returned by direct election.

District Councils are chaired by District Officers starting from 2024, and had been the case in the first three years of District Boards (name of District Councils before handover), i.e. between 1982 and 1985. Since 1985 and until 2023 chairmen of District Boards are elected from amongst the members.

Source: Review of the Roles, Functions and Composition

Political make-up of the councils

Independence 
The party affiliations and politics in the Legislative Council can be echoed in the district councils, who have sometimes been accused of slavishly supporting the government. Professor Li Pang-kwong, of Lingnan University, says that the problematic framework of the councils, being under the Home Affairs Bureau, has led them to work too closely with the government. He cites the example of the "copy and paste" Queen's Pier motions passed by thirteen councils to support government decisions as a rubber-stamp, and a clear sign that councils lacked independence. Li recalled a similar government "consultation" on universal suffrage in 2007, in which two-thirds of the councils passed a vote in support of its position. After it was revealed that the government was behind the concerted district councils' motions in 2008 supporting the relocation of Queen's Pier, Albert Ho condemned the government for tampering with district councils to "create public opinion", and for turning district officers into propagandists.

Elections

1999 District council elections 

In 1999, Tung Chee Hwa appointed 100 members to the district councils. These included 41 from various political parties, namely the Liberal Party, the Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong (DAB), and the Hong Kong Progressive Alliance. No democrats were appointed.

2003 District council elections 

In 2003, Tung appointed 21 political party appointees to the district councils to dilute the influence of the pan-democrats as follows:
 eight members of the Liberal Party
 six members of the DAB
 six members from the Progressive Alliance
 one from the New Century Forum

Professor of politics and sociology at Lingnan University, Dr. Li Pang-kwong said "As in the past, most of the appointees were pro-government or persons without a clear political stance... ensur[ing] that no district council is in the hands of the democrats." A spokesman for the democrats said the appointees "will have an unfair advantage in that they are getting financial support from the government which will help them run for office in future elections." After this election, this election would abolish the appointed members of the Hong Kong district councils.

2007 District council elections 

In December 2007, Donald Tsang named 27 government-appointed council members.
 13 members of the Liberal Party
 11 members of the DAB
 three members from the Federation of Trade Unions

Tsang was criticised for not appointing a single member of the pan-democrats in either 2003 or 2007.

2011 District council elections 

After the election, Donald Tsang appointed 68 members, none of them from the pan-democrat camp.

2015 District council elections

2019 District council elections

2023 District council elections

See also
 Districts of Hong Kong
 District Officer (Hong Kong)
 Legislative Council of Hong Kong
 Politics of Hong Kong
 Pro-Beijing camp
 Pro-democracy camp
 District Council Eligibility Review Committee

References
 De Golyer, Michael (13 October 2005). Building a backbone, Commentary, The Standard.

Footnotes

External links

 District Councils official website

Politics of Hong Kong
홍콩의 구의회(, )는 홍콩의 18구를 대변하는 지역의회이다. 홍콩 특별행정구 정부 민정사무국의 감독 하에 설치되어 있다. 본래 영어명으로는 '디스트릭트 보드' (District boards)라는 명칭이었으나 1999년 지금의 이름으로 바뀌었으며, 한문 명칭은 '구의회' (區議會)로 동일하다.

역사 
홍콩의 지역자치 기구로는 일찍이 1949년 설치된 가방회 (街坊會, Kaifong association)이 조직되어 있었다. 하지만 1960년대부터 이들 가방회가 더 이상 지역 대표 기구로 활동하지 않게 되면서 1968년 홍콩 정부 차원에서 최초의 지역행정기구가 설치된다. 이 기구는 각 구마다 사무소를 두었으며, 보건과 범죄근절 대책을 비롯한 지역 정책과 현안에 대해 행정지원을 댈 수 있도록 하였다. 특히 1967년 폭동 사태 이후로 세세한 민심을 수집하려는 목적도 지니고 있었다.

1970년대 초부터 시작된 지역사회 관여계획 (Community Involvement Plan)에 따라 홍콩섬과 가우룽 일대는 한 구역당 45,000명씩, 총 74개의 구역으로 분할되었다. 각각의 구역에는 '지역위원회'를 설치했는데 구청으로부터 임명된 스무 명의 의원으로 구성되었다. 이는 사상 처음으로 지역사회의 각계각층 의원으로 구성된 것이자, 홍콩 입법회의 비공무직 의원이 이끌게 된 사례였다. 지역위원회의 초창기 목적은 '클린 홍콩' (Clean Hong Kong) 운동을 위한 홍보물을 지역민에게 배포하려는 것이었으며 성공을 거뒀다.

홍콩 정부의 지역 참여와 영향력 증대를 위한 다음 단계는 1973년 6월 고층 주거지에 '상호지원위원회' (mutual aid committee)를 설치하는 것이었다. 홍콩 입법회에서 밝힌 상호지원위의 설립목적은 "청결이나 보안 같은 공통적 문제를 해결하기 위해 함께 나서는, 다층 건물에 같이 거주하는 책임 있는 시민들의 모임"이었지만, 실제로는 홍콩 정부가 엄격히 통제하는 기구였다. 홍콩 정부의 독려로 상호지원위원회는 민간 건물마다 속속 설치되면서 1973년 1,214곳이었던 위원회 수가 1980년 3,463곳으로 급격히 늘었다. 또 민간건물 외에도 공공 주택단지 (1980년 당시 800곳)나 산가이의 산업지대로도 확대되었다. 그 다음으로는 신가이의 여덟 구에 자문위원회를 설치하는 것으로, 1977년에는 췬완구 자문위원회가 처음 설치되었다. 이 자문위원회의 의원은 임명제였으며 기존의 도시지역기구보다 공식적으로 조직된 기구로서, 지역현안 자문과 문화복지 활동 시행 등을 맡았다.

마침내 1982년, 머레이 맥로즈 총독 집권 당시 구행정 계획안에 따라 구의회 (District Board, 區議會)가 처음 설치되었다. 구의회의 설립목적은 구(區) 차원의 행정 및 공공시설 제공에 있어 정부집행의 조직을 도모하는 것이었으며, 초창기에는 구 자문위원회의 역할을 고스란히 넘겨받았다. 자문위원회 시절까지만 해도 지명의원과 공무직으로만 구성되었지만 1982년 구의회로 바뀌고 나서부터는 선출직도 포함되었다. 마침 홍콩 입법회에서도 민주절차적 요소를 도입하려는 움직임이 일어나자, 홍콩 정부는 이 구의회 의원들을 간접 선출해 입법회를 구성하자는 안을 내놓기도 하였다. 실제로 1985년 입법회 의원 중 12인은 구의회의 선거인단 표결로 선출되었으며, 1988년과 1995년에도 동일하였다.

현황

기능 
홍콩 구의회는 홍콩 정부 측에 지역현안에 관한 자문을 내릴 수 있는 권한을 지닌다. 구체적으로는 구민 복지 관련 사안, 구내 공공 시설과 서비스의 제공 및 이용, 정부 정책 시행에 있어 타당성과 우선권 논의, 지역 공공사업과 지역사회 활동을 위한 예산 배정 등이 해당된다.

여기에 홍콩 구의회는 정부로부터 배정받은 예산을 환경개선, 복지문화활동, 지역사회활동 등의 구정 (區政) 분야에 활용하게 된다.

의원 
홍콩 구의회는 총 세 부류의 의원으로 구성된다.

 직선제 의원: 홍콩 18구의 각 선거구에서 직접선거로 선출되는 의원이다. 이때 선거구 한 곳당 의원 1인을 뽑는 소선거구제를 실시한다. 2019년 기준으로 총 452명이 있다.
직무 의원: 산가이의 향토자치기구인 향사위원회 (鄉事委員會, 마을 사무 위원회) 의장을 역임하고 있는 의원들로, '당연의원' (當然議員)이라 부른다. 2019년 기준으로 총 27명이 있다.
 콰이칭구 (1석): 칭이 향사위원회
 췬완구 (2석): 췬완 향사위원회, 마완 향사위원회
 튄문구 (1석): 튄문 향사위원회
 윈롱구 (6석): 하촌 향사위원회, 핑산 향사위원회, 십팔향 향사위원회, 팔향 향사위원회, 캄틴 향사위원회, 산틴 향사위원회
 박구 (4석): 상수이 향사위원회, 판링 향사위원회, 사타우곡 향사위원회, 타구링 향사위원회
 다이보구 (2석): 다이보 향사위원회, 사이궁 북쪽 향사위원회
 사틴구 (1석): 사틴 향사위원회
 사이궁구 (2석): 사이궁 향사위원회, 항하우 향사위원회
 레이도구 (8석): 청차우 섬 향사위원회, 펭차우 섬 향사위원회, 퉁청 향사위원회, 타이오 향사위원회, 무이워 향사위원회, 란타우 섬 남구 향사위원회, 라마 섬 북구 향사위원회, 라마 섬 남쪽 향사위원회
임명 의원 (제11대 구의회부터 폐지): 홍콩 행정장관이 지명하는 의원이다. 최근에는 임명된 바가 없고, 가장 최근인 제10대 구의회에서는 총 68명이 있었다.

구의회 

홍콩 18구에는 각각 하나의 구의회가 설치되어, 총 18개의 홍콩 구의회가 존재하는데 그 목록은 다음과 같다. 이름 옆의 숫자는 우측 지도에 표시된 숫자다.
 홍콩섬
 중사이구 (15)
 둥구 (16)
 남구 (17)
 완자이구 (18)
 가우룽 (신가우룽)
 가우룽싱구 (10)
 군통구 (11)
 삼서이보구 (12)
 웡다이신구 (13)
 야우짐웡구 (14)
 산가이 (신계)
 레이도구 (1)
 콰이칭구 (2)
 박구 (3)
 사이궁구 (4)
 사틴구 (5)
 다이보구 (6)
 췬완구 (7)
 튄문구 (8)
 윈롱구 (9)

역대 구의회 

출처: Review of the Roles, Functions and Composition

같이 보기 
 홍콩의 행정 구역
 홍콩의 정치
 홍콩 입법회

각주 

구의회