Govt defends 'unaffordable' light public housing fees
People moving into light public housing face estimated monthly management fees of around HK$1,000 because the charges also cover other facilities that accompany the new units, the government said on Thursday. In Legco, DAB lawmaker Vincent Cheng expressed concern that tenants won't be able to afford such fees. Housing Secretary Winnie Ho explained that the charges are a "three-in-one approach" the government has adopted. "For light public housing, we don't just have [fees for] cleaning and security guards, there's also provision of services. When we consulted people about light public housing, we were told that people wanted facilities at [these] estates," Ho told legislators. For example, she said, the cost of operating transport facilities and a promenade at the Siu Lam light public housing project will be added to the management fees. Meanwhile, legislator Scott Leung said he was concerned that most of the modular units, for people on the waiting list for public housing, are designed for one or two occupants when a good number of families living in sub-divided flats are three-person households. Ho said data from operators of transitional housing showed that the demand for bigger flats is higher in urban areas and officials have planned accordingly when drawing up the light public housing projects. The housing chief also dismissed a claim by Election Committee lawmaker Wendy Hong that government policies encourage young people to give up on upward social mobility and simply "lie flat". Hong said some people even stop working so as to stay eligible for public flats. Ho responded by saying that the public housing system doesn't encourage young people to queue for a flat, but provides homes for grassroots and elderly people.