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 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.
History The Urban Council 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 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 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 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 the Urban Council Ordinance (Cap. 101, Laws of Hong Kong).Norman Miners. 1981. The Government and Politics of Hong Kong. Hong Kong: Oxford University Press. It was estimated that in 1970 there were 250,000 eligible voters“Elected Urbco protest over reform plan,” in: South China Morning Post, 1970 and in 1981 the number had increased to 400,000 – 500,000.“Sing Tao Jih Pao,” in Hong Kong Standard, 8 March 1981
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 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 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, 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, the executive arm of the Regional Council.
In 1994, the Council became fully elected based on universal and equal adult suffrage.CACV 1/2000
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.
Members and elections Elections for unofficial members of the Urban Council were held since 1888. Suffrage 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 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 the Reform Club.
The size of the Urban Council is as follows: Ex officio members Appointed unofficials Elected unofficials Elected byDistrict Boards Total 1888 4 4 2 - 10 1901 5 4 2 - 11 1903 4 4 2 - 10 1936 5 6 2 - 13 1946 5 6 - - 11 1952 5 6 2 - 13 1953 5 6 4 - 15 1954 6 6 4 - 16 1956 6 8 8 - 22 1965 6 10 10 - 26 1973 - 12 12 - 24 1983 - 15 15 - 30 1989 - 15 15 10 40 1995 - - 32 9 41
The electorate and turnout of selected Urban Council elections before the expansion of electoral franchise is as follows: YearNumber of registered votersNumber of registered voters who voted in the electionVoting rate (%)19529,0743,36835.0196529,5296,49222.0196726,27510,18938.8196934,3928,17523.8197137,78810,04726.6197331,2848,67524.4197534,07810,90332.0197737,1747,30819.7197931,48112,42639.5198134,3816,19518.0
Expansion of Electoral Franchise 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: the number of appointed members in the Urban Council be increased to 15 to maintain the pre-existing ratio between appointed and elected members; 8 constituencies be created for the Urban Council, with 7 multi-member constituencies and 1 single-member constituency; and 1-2 constituencies in each district; each constituency represents 250,000.
Upon 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: number of elected and appointed members increased from 12 to 15 members each; 15 single-member constituencies created (each of 250,000 population), elected through first-past-the-post voting; and the term of UC members elected in 1981 shortened to 2 years to accommodate Urban Council elections under the reformed electoral methods in 1983.
The electoral franchise were expanded to around 568,000 voters upon implementation of the White Paper, which marked an increase by 17 times: minimum voting age to remain at 21; minimum period of ordinary residence in Hong Kong increased from 3 to 7 years; all residents were eligible for suffrage regardless of nationalities; and the 23 criteria for registering as voters in Urban Council elections abolished.
The electorate and turnout of selected Urban Council elections after the expansion of electoral franchise are as follows: YearNumber of registered votersNumber of registered voters who voted in the electionTurnout in contested elections (%)Percentage of those eligible to vote (%)1983708,119127,20622.47.81986944,844218,57323.112.519891,045,073105,82614.26.419911,124,292214,54420.910.8
Changes to the electoral system of unofficial members in the Urban Council are outlined as follows: PeriodVoting system Number of constituenciesTotal number of Elected seatsProportion of Elected seats in UrbCo1888-1936First-past-the-post voting and plurality-at-large voting1 constituency2 seats18.2-20%1936-194015.4%1952plurality-at-large voting15.4%1953-19554 seats27.7%1956-19718 seats36.4%1973-198112 seats50%1983-1986First-past-the-post voting15 constituencies15 seats50%1989-199137.5%199532 constituencies32 seats78%
Duties and services
The Urban Council provided many services to the Hong Kong people over the years. The Urban Services Department was 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.
Arts and culture The Urban Council played 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.
Cultural events The Council held the Festival of Asian Arts every year since 1976. The council also sponsored 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.
Museums 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 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.
Arts groups 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 – 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 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.