Hong Kong’s first five-year plan will undoubtedly mark a significant milestone for the city. The public consultation launched last month covers a range of issues, such as economic development, innovation and technology, housing, healthcare, education, infrastructure and regional cooperation. The exercise offers a chance not only to discuss what Hong Kong hopes to achieve by…
The public consultation for Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s last policy address of his current term is under way. Will he, for example, listen to the people about whether the baby bonus, one of the initiatives aimed at raising the birth rate and which is set to expire in October, should continue? Lee did say…
Why do some governments consistently turn long-term goals into visible results while others struggle to move beyond policy announcements? The answer often lies not in ideology and planning but in governance: the ability to identify priorities, coordinate action and sustain implementation. As the Hong Kong government begins a public consultation on its first five-year plan,…
The Reverend Canon Peter Douglas Koon Ho-ming was blunt when he said, “Once there are no political issues, everything in Hong Kong is a livelihood issue.” He was also correct. Housing is this city’s biggest livelihood issue. It is also the hardest to tackle by far. The current administration has probably done more in this…
What do marathon runners, AI experts and tennis players have in common? In China, they have all become the target of creative housing subsidies. Earlier this month, a social media account for the government of Nanjing — a capital city of China in imperial times — posted that it was providing housing subsidies of up…
In Scotland, 87 of the 90 LHA rates are expected to fall below this level, with estimates suggesting around 45,000 households, including approximately 31,000 children, could be impacted. Clare Adamson, MSP for Motherwell and Wishaw(Image: Clare Adamson MSP) A Lanarkshire MSP has challenged the Labour UK Government to take urgent action on child poverty, warning…
Hong Kong’s average waiting time for a public rental flat rose to 5.6 years as of December, marking an increase for three consecutive quarters, as the Housing Bureau attributed the increase to high demand for flats in urban areas. According to figures announced on Thursday, the latest average waiting time for general applicants – family…
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Sworn in at midnight and again hours later publicly, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani used his first day in office Thursday to hit the ground running with new executive orders targeting city landlords and housing development. And he said the city will take what he called…
This month’s Legislative Council election once again put Hong Kong’s political participation in the spotlight. Despite official calls for civic engagement and a modest improvement over the previous election, voter turnout remained historically low. Among younger voters in particular, a sense of distance from institutional politics was palpable. This was not simply a matter of…
The farmhouse would be converted into two new homes, with a barn converted into a third home and a row of garages demolished to make way for a fourth Joe Griffin, Local Democracy Reporter 05:00, 03 Dec 2025 18 Church Street, Stanground garages and barn(Image: Local Democracy Reporting Service) Plans to redevelop a 17th century…