Lee wraps Kowloon policy consultation with housing focus
HK01 · 9 SOURCES40 minutes ago3 MIN
Summary
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu led the last district consultation session in Kowloon on August 9 as the government gathers views for Hong Kong’s first five-year plan for 2026-2030 and the 2026 Policy Address. The roughly two-hour meeting at Kowloon Tong Government Primary School drew about 120 participants, with residents raising concerns over youth housing, fertility, talent policy, artificial intelligence, tourism, cultural development and student expenses. A recurring theme was whether younger people can still move up the housing ladder, with one participant saying buying a flat now depends on having wealthy parents. Lee said the Northern Metropolis offers new room to improve housing conditions and repeated that public housing queues have fallen from a peak of 150,000 to about 100,000.
Key Points
- Lee said the consultation was especially significant because it was Hong Kong’s first held during formulation of a five-year plan, and he deliberately set aside more time for public speaking.
- The session was held at Kowloon Tong Government Primary School, lasted about two hours, and involved around 120 participants including grassroots residents, retirees, students and ethnic minorities.
- Participant Wong said under-35 home ownership has fallen from nearly 30% about 20 years ago to below 15%, with over 70% needing parental help for down payments.
- Wong proposed Northern Metropolis youth hostels and a subsidised first-home linkage scheme that would convert part of rent into points or savings toward a starter flat.
- Lee said housing demand from general public-rental applicants had dropped from 150,000 at its peak to about 100,000, which he linked to more public and subsidised flats and better turnover.
- Other participants urged stronger policy on demand-driven talent admission, fertility support, AI retraining, overseas expansion for robotics firms, cultural intellectual property and textbook subsidies for low-income students.
- Lee said the government would publish studies on talent demand and overall manpower needs within this year, while continuing active measures to encourage childbirth.
- On culture and tourism, Lee said the government would support funding, venues and policy to help build an internationally recognised Hong Kong brand, though success also depends on the sector.
- Participants also suggested community innovation labs in districts such as Kwun Tong and Kowloon Bay, broader youth committee self-nomination channels, and stronger career planning and talent-pool building.
- HK01 reported this Kowloon event as the last district consultation, after the first session in Tuen Mun; the five-year plan consultation ends on August 14 and is expected in September.
Why It Matters
The Kowloon session gives a clearer picture of what the government will face as it finalises both a long-term five-year framework and the next annual Policy Address: pressure to show that housing mobility, labour planning and industrial upgrading can produce visible results. For Hong Kong readers, the most immediate test will be whether official promises on the Northern Metropolis, talent policy and family support translate into measures that younger households can actually feel.