Politics
Tung Chung Referendum Redirects Funds for 28,000 Residents' Welfare Programs
The ballot measure would redirect portions of existing district funds to programs serving 28,000 Tung Chung residents through direct service contracts.
How we reported this
The Tung Chung District Council placed a referendum on the 15 September 2026 ballot that asks voters to approve a reallocation of HK$18 million from the 2027 district budget toward expanded community services contracts. The measure affects all ratepayers in Tung Chung New Town and the surrounding villages who pay the annual property levy. Passage would require the council to award new service agreements by 1 January 2027.
The referendum follows the release of the council's March 2026 financial review, which projected a HK$9 million shortfall in social service contracts for the coming fiscal year. Council records show that current contracts cover 14 day-care centres and three youth outreach teams serving Tung Chung residents. The proposal document states that the reallocation would draw from unspent infrastructure reserves rather than new taxes.
Residents who use the Tung Chung Community Hall for after-school programs would see an increase from 180 to 240 places if the measure passes. Families relying on the district's home-care visits for elderly residents would gain an additional 45 weekly slots under the new contracts. Workers employed by the existing service providers would continue under the same wage scales listed in the current agreements.
Budget Figures from Council Records
The referendum proposal document lists the HK$18 million figure as 11 percent of the district's total 2026 social services allocation. It cites 2025 audit data showing that 62 percent of the current budget already funds programs within Tung Chung boundaries. The same document projects that the shift would leave the roads and drainage reserve at HK$41 million, still above the minimum required by the council's reserve policy adopted in 2024.
Voters will receive a printed guide mailed to every registered address in the district by 1 August 2026. The guide contains the exact wording of the question and a summary of the proposed contract categories. Early voting opens on 8 September at the Tung Chung Municipal Services Building.
Timeline After the Vote
If approved, the council must publish the new service contracts in the Government Gazette within 30 days of certification. The contracts would run for 24 months with an option for one 12-month extension. Rejection would leave the existing allocations unchanged for the 2027 fiscal year.