Hong Kong district councillors juggle demands of serving enlarged wards, some say it’s hard to make ends meet
- Subsidies do not stretch far enough to cover rents, assistants’ pay and other expenses, councillors say
- More residents turn to elected councillors for help because appointed ones are ‘not yet recognisable’
New Hong Kong district councillor Ken Fung Pui-yin has developed a major headache doing his sums after beginning his four-year term on January 1.
He needed an office in his Tuen Mun East constituency. He applied for one of 17 public housing flats offered by the Housing Authority to the 32 Tuen Mun council members.
If his bid succeeds, the rent will be HK$6,000 to HK$7,000 (US$767 to US$895) per month. If it fails, a private space will cost him HK$15,000 to HK$18,000 – almost 40 per cent of his monthly government subsidies.
After paying one full-time assistant and a part-timer, he said he was left with only HK$7,500 for everything else from utilities to producing publicity materials.
“The government’s limited resources fall short in supporting a district councillor in an enlarged constituency,” the 38-year-old journalist turned full-time councillor said.
He was among district councillors who told the Post that their first month at work left them coming to grips with various realities, including the lack of resources.
