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The government must address the problem of insufficient representation of the rent management team

2020-06-04T08:50:03.257Z


The problem of local government housing is serious. Earlier, the government finally set up a research group on housing rent control research to study the feasibility of housing rent management. However, the composition of the group was questioned and there were no representatives of social welfare agencies. In the week


01 point of view

Written by: Review Editor

2020-06-03 09:00

Last update date: 2020-06-03 09:00

The problem of local government housing is serious. Earlier, the government finally set up a research group on housing rent control research to study the feasibility of housing rent management. However, the composition of the group was questioned and there were no representatives of social welfare agencies. In the Housing Panel of the Legislative Council on Monday (1st), Su Weiwen, Deputy Secretary of the Transport and Housing Bureau, "supported" the group to be fully representative. At the same time, it will also focus on the group's work of visiting households and meeting with interested groups. But in the end, does the group really accept the voice of the tenant?

In April this year, the Hong Kong Government announced the appointment list of the “Residential Rent Control Research Working Group”. A 13-member team will study the feasibility of the concessionary rent management within 18 months and write a report to the government for reference. However, the composition and work of the research group has caused a lot of worries. For example, the group does not include representatives of social welfare groups directly from the housing sector. It originally promised all access with the government, and some members worry that the work of the group is insufficient, especially early. The previous rumored group would only hold 11 meetings, worrying that the number would be insufficient, and that the government would also include relevant public forums, meetings with pressure groups and other activities.

The Legislative Council Panel on Housing met on Monday (1st) to discuss the matter of the rent management study group. In response to the representativeness of the relevant group, Su Weiwen, deputy director of the Transport and Housing Bureau, pointed out that one of the scholar members of the group is a director of the concern group. In the past, he has experience in participating in the work of the public housing. I believe this can reflect the relevant voice and affirm the group’s Representative. In addition, he also emphasized that the 11 group "meetings" drafted above are actually 11 "stages", which does not mean that only 11 meetings will actually be held, and he emphasizes the actions of visiting households and meeting with interested groups. Not only once.

The Deputy Secretary for Transport and Housing Su Weiwen attended the special meeting of the Legislative Council Panel on Housing on Monday (1st). (Photo by Yu Junliang)

Improving representation cannot be a hassle

However, Su Weiwen did not express the details of the relevant directors, concerned groups and concerned work. It is really difficult to confirm that the voices of the public tenants can be brought into the research group. The government needs to publish the relevant information more clearly. When the group member She Qingyun responded to the group list earlier, she also had only the representatives of the housing group concerned about the housing group, but no social welfare organization. It obviously taught people to worry about the lack of relevant voices in the group. Even if the scholar mentioned by the government has experience in participating in groups and social welfare work, if the government attaches great importance to the social welfare representatives who pay attention to the public housing, you can invite one more person who directly represents the social welfare group to join. There are many members representing the interests of real estate, landlords, etc. Just as She Qingyun, the president of the owners' association, clearly has a tendency to oppose rent control and hope to reflect the voices of the owners, the government must always inject more voices from the social welfare sector into the group for balance.

On the other hand, Su Weiwen emphasized that the group will conduct many activities such as visiting households and meeting with interested groups. Needless to say, these activities of direct contact and exchange with real estate tenants and related groups are very important. After all, many of the team members were approved to have insufficient understanding of real estate. Learning the English "subdivided unit (subdivided building unit)" in the house, it is really hard to say that the group has a deep understanding of the house. However, what worries people is how much of these visits and exchanges can enhance individual team members' understanding of the house.

More importantly, even if there are more meetings with squatters and concerned groups, social welfare groups are still not in the research group, and they cannot continue to provide advice on stipend management and have no practical decision-making power. , Writing reports, etc. has limited influence, and the government cannot use this to replace the invitation of social welfare representatives to participate in the group. The Government should invite the concerned groups to join the group as soon as possible while the group work is still in its preliminary stage, so as to ensure that the voices of the households are reflected truthfully.

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Source: hk1

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