Secretary of Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak said on Saturday that the government will provide extra mediation training for district councillors.

Under the initiative to foster harmonious neighbourhood relations announced in the latest Policy Address, the Home Affairs Department will introduce a three-tier mechanism to resolve building-management disputes next year.

The first tier will see district council members intervening early when a building-management dispute arises to resolve the issue through negotiation.

Only if it remains unresolved will professional mediators step in under the second tier, with the case only reaching the courts as a last resort.

Speaking on Commercial Radio, Mak gave an example of how the new approach would work.

“In the past if a district councillor received a complaint from, say, a Mrs Lee, they would refer that to the property management office for follow-up action,” she said.

“Now, we are asking them to take it one step further.

"Not only should they refer the complaint to the management office, but they should also ask the management office to set up a meeting between the two sides.

“District councillors can serve as mediators. Of course, if we want district councillors to take on more responsibilities, it is essential that we provide them with the proper training.”

District councillors, she said, would continue to provide follow-up assistance even if the dispute escalates to the second or third tier.

Mak said she sees no immediate need to introduce mandatory measures to resolve building-management disputes, saying society must first reach a consensus and that introducing penalties requires further study.


Edited by Robert Kemp