Fund use by councils to be reformed: Lester Shum

Fund use by councils to be reformed: Lester Shum

Newly elected district councillor Lester Shum said on Tuesday that the way financial matters are handled by district councils will be the one of the main targets of reform when the pan-democrats take control.



Shum, who was elected in Tsuen Wan in last month's polls, said the resources of the councils have been handled in a non-transparent manner in the past, and pro-government councillors have dominated the proceedings.



He said there should be more transparency to allow local people to have a bigger role in monitoring the allocation of district resources. The new councillors plan to set up a mechanism which is democratic, open and accountable, the former student leader said.



He said ending wasteful expenditure, for example on Christmas lighting or the controversial HK$15 million musical fountain in Kwun Tong, will also be a priority.



Shum said he willspeak out about political issues in council meetings, like the five demands of anti-government protesters, because "that's what voters want".



The elections on November 24 saw the opposition camp take control of all but one of the 18 district councils in a major shift in the political landscape. Till then, the councils had always been dominated by pro-Beijing parties.