View source for Yuen Long District Council

{{short description|Local government council in Hong Kong}}
{{Use Hong Kong English|date=December 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2018}}
{{Infobox legislature
| name               = Yuen Long District Council
| native_name        = {{noitalics|{{nobold|元朗區議會}}}}
| transcription_name =
| legislature        =
| coa_pic            = Yuen Long District Council logo.svg
| coa_res            = 180px
| coa-pic            =
| coa-res            =
| house_type         = Hong Kong District Council
| body               = Yuen Long District
| foundation         = {{Start date and age|1981|4|1|df=y}} <small>(District Board)</small><br />{{Start date and age|1997|7|1|df=y}} <small>(Provisional)</small><br />{{Start date and age|2000|1|1|df=y}} <small>(District Council)</small>
| houses             =
| leader1_type       = Chair
| leader1            = Gordon Wu Tin-yau
| party1             = [[Independent (politician)|Independent]] 
| election1          =
| leader2_type       = 
| leader2            = 
| party2             = 
| election2          =
| leader3_type       =
| leader3            =
| party3             =
| election3          =
| members            = '''46 councillors'''<br />consisting of<br />8 elected members<br />16 district committee members<br />16 appointed members<br />6 ex officio members
| house1             =
| house2             =
| structure1         = 
| structure1_res     = 200px
| structure2         =
| structure2_res     =
| political_groups1  =
| political_groups2  =
| seats1_title       = [[Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong|DAB]]
| seats1             = {{Composition bar|12|46|hex={{party color|DABHK}}}}
| seats2_title       = [[Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions|FTU]]
| seats2             = {{Composition bar|3|46|hex={{party color|HKFTU}}}}
| seats3_title       = [[Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong|BPA]]
| seats3             = {{Composition bar|1|46|hex={{party color|Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong}}}}
| seats4_title       = [[Path of Democracy|PoD]]
| seats4             = {{Composition bar|1|46|hex={{party color|Path of Democracy}}}}
| seats5_title       = [[Independent (politician)|Independent]]
| seats5             = {{Composition bar|29|46|hex={{party color|Independent politician}}}}
| committees1        =
| committees2        =
| joint_committees   =
| voting_system1     = [[Plurality voting system|First past the post]]
| voting_system2     =
| last_election1     = [[2023 Hong Kong local elections|10 December 2023]]
| last_election2     =
| session_room       = File:Yuen Long Government Offices (clear view).jpg
| session_res        = 
| meeting_place      = 13/F., Yuen Long Government Offices, No.2, Kiu Lok Square, [[Yuen Long]], [[New Territories]]
| website            = {{url|http://www.districtcouncils.gov.hk/yl/}}
| footnotes          =
}}

The '''Yuen Long District Council''' ({{zh|t=元朗區議會}}) is the [[district council of Hong Kong|district council]] for the [[Yuen Long District]] in [[Hong Kong]]. It is one of 18 such councils. The Yuen Long District currently consists of 46 members, of which the district is divided into four constituencies, electing a total of 8 members, 16 district committee members, 16 appointed members, and 6 ''ex officio'' members who are the [[Shap Pat Heung]], [[San Tin]], [[Ha Tsuen]], [[Kam Tin]], [[Ping Shan]] and [[Pat Heung]] [[rural committee]] chairmen. The latest election was held on [[2023 Hong Kong local elections|10 December 2023]].

==History==
The Yuen Long District Council was established on 1 April 1981 under the name of the Yuen Long District Board as the result of the colonial [[Governor of Hong Kong|Governor]] [[Murray MacLehose, Baron MacLehose of Beoch|Murray MacLehose]]'s District Administration Scheme reform. The District Board was partly elected with the ''ex-officio'' [[Regional Council (Hong Kong)|Regional Council]] members and chairmen of six Rural Committees, Shap Pat Heung, San Tin, Ha Tsuen, Kam Tin, Ping Shan and Pat Heung, as well as members appointed by the Governor until 1994 when last Governor [[Chris Patten]] refrained from appointing any member.

The Yuen Long District Board became Yuen Long Provisional District Board after the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) was established in 1997 with the appointment system being reintroduced by [[Chief Executive of Hong Kong|Chief Executive]] [[Tung Chee-hwa]]. The current Yuen Long District Council was established on 1 January 2000 after the [[1999 Hong Kong local elections|first District Council election]] in 1999. The appointed seats were abolished in 2015 after the [[2010 Hong Kong electoral reform|modified constitutional reform proposal]] was passed by the [[Legislative Council of Hong Kong|Legislative Council]] in 2010.

The Yuen Long District Council is one of the fastest growing council due to the development of the [[New towns of Hong Kong|new towns]] of Yuen Long and [[Tin Shui Wai]], and has become the largest council of the territory. It had been tightly dominated by the rural forces due to its vast rural areas and the ''ex-officio'' rural committee representatives. The chairmanship of the council had been taken by rural or rural-related councillors, such as Tai Kuen, chairman from 1985 to 1999, was a rural strongman; [[Tang Siu-tong]], chairman from 2000 to 2007, was a rural leader which represented the [[Hong Kong Progressive Alliance]] and was elected to the Legislative Council in 2000 on the pro-Beijing [[Democratic Alliance for the Betterment of Hong Kong]] (DAB) ticket; [[Leung Che-cheung]], chairman from 2008 to 2015, was a member of the DAB and president of the [[New Territories Association of Societies]] (NTAS) who has been Legislative Councillor since 2012.

The Tin Shui Wai new town was also dominated by the pro-Beijing forces. The pro-democrats have limited influence in the district, such as [[Zachary Wong]] and [[Roy Kwong|Kwong Chun-yu]] in [[Long Ping Estate]] and the pro-Taipei [[Democratic Alliance (Hong Kong)|Democratic Alliance]]'s [[Johnny Mak]] in [[Fung Cheung (constituency)|Fung Cheung]]. On the capacity of Yuen Long District Councillor, Kwong was elected to the Legislative Council through the [[District Council (Second)]] constituency in 2016.

The pro-Beijing and rural domination was turned over in the [[2019 Hong Kong local elections|2019 historic landslide victory]] where the pro-democrats took over all the urban constituencies and a few rural constituencies amid the [[2019–20 Hong Kong protests|massive pro-democracy protests]]. All pro-Beijing councillors in Tin Shui Wai including [[Luk Chung-hung]] of the [[Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions]] (FTU) being unseated and some rural incumbents were also surprisingly defeated. As a result, the pro-democrats took 33 of the 39 elected seats and seized control of the 45-member council for the first time.

In the 2023 District Council election, 8 of the 46 seats on the Yuen Long District Council are elected by elected members, 16 are elected by district committees, 16 are appointed members, and 6 ex-officio members make up the current Yuen Long District Council. In the Yuen Long District Council, among the 46 members, 29 are independent members, 12 are from the Democratic Alliance for Betterment of Hong Kong, 3 from the Federation of Trade Unions, 1 from the Economic Alliance for Democracy, and 1 from democratic ideas. Among the 46 members, 45 are from the pro-establishment camp. ,1 centrist seat.

==Political control==
Since 1982 political control of the council has been held by the following parties:
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size: 95%;"
! Camp in control !! Largest party !! Years !! Composition
|- ! style="background-color: #DDDDDD"
| No Overall Control || None || 1982 - 1985 ||
|- ! style="background-color: LightBlue"
| Pro-government || Reform Club || 1985 - 1988
| {{Composition_bar/advanced
|divisionname =
|boxwidth     = 100
|total        = 22
|party1       = 1
|partycolor1  = Green
|party2       = 9
|partycolor2  = Blue
|party3       = 12
|partycolor3  = MidnightBlue
}}
|- ! style="background-color: LightBlue"
| Pro-government || Meeting Point || 1988 - 1991
| {{Composition_bar/advanced
|divisionname =
|boxwidth     = 100
|total        = 25
|party1       = 2
|partycolor1  = Green
|party2       = 1
|partycolor2  = Gray
|party3       = 9
|partycolor3  = Blue
|party4       = 13
|partycolor4  = MidnightBlue
}}
|- ! style="background-color: LightBlue"
| Pro-government || United Democrats || 1991 - 1994
| {{Composition_bar/advanced
|divisionname =
|boxwidth     = 100
|total        = 25
|party1       = 3
|partycolor1  = Green
|party2       = 9
|partycolor2  = Blue
|party3       = 13
|partycolor3  = MidnightBlue
}}
|- ! style="background-color: Pink"
| Pro-Beijing || Democratic || 1994 - 1997
| {{Composition_bar/advanced
|divisionname =
|boxwidth     = 100
|total        = 25
|party1       = 3
|partycolor1  = Green
|party2       = 16
|partycolor2  = Red
|party3       = 6
|partycolor3  = FireBrick
}}
|- ! style="background-color: Pink"
| Pro-Beijing || Democratic || 1997 - 1999
| {{Composition_bar/advanced
|divisionname =
|boxwidth     = 100
|total        = 32
|party1       = 3
|partycolor1  = Green
|party2       = 16
|partycolor2  = Red
|party3       = 13
|partycolor3  = FireBrick
}}
|- ! style="background-color: Pink"
| Pro-Beijing || DAB || 2000 - 2003
| {{Composition_bar/advanced
|divisionname =
|boxwidth     = 100
|total        = 36
|party1       = 3
|partycolor1  = Green
|party2       = 20
|partycolor2  = Red
|party3       = 13
|partycolor3  = FireBrick
}}
|- ! style="background-color: Pink"
| Pro-Beijing || DAB || 2004 - 2007
| {{Composition_bar/advanced
|divisionname =
|boxwidth     = 100
|total        = 42
|party1       = 7
|partycolor1  = Green
|party2       = 22
|partycolor2  = Red
|party3       = 13
|partycolor3  = FireBrick
}}
|- ! style="background-color: Pink"
| Pro-Beijing || DAB || 2008 - 2011
| {{Composition_bar/advanced
|divisionname =
|boxwidth     = 100
|total        = 42
|party1       = 4
|partycolor1  = Green
|party2       = 25
|partycolor2  = Red
|party3       = 13
|partycolor3  = FireBrick
}}
|- ! style="background-color: Pink"
| Pro-Beijing || DAB || 2012 - 2015
| {{Composition_bar/advanced
|divisionname =
|boxwidth     = 100
|total        = 42
|party1       = 5
|partycolor1  = Green
|party2       = 26
|partycolor2  = Red
|party3       = 11
|partycolor3  = FireBrick
}}
|- ! style="background-color: Pink"
| Pro-Beijing || DAB || 2016 - 2019
| {{Composition_bar/advanced
|divisionname =
|boxwidth     = 100
|total        = 41
|party1       = 5
|partycolor1  = Green
|party2       = 30
|partycolor2  = Red
|party3       = 6
|partycolor3  = FireBrick
}}
|- ! style="background-color: LightGreen"
| Pro-democracy → Pro-Beijing || Democratic → None || 2020 - 2023
| {{Composition_bar/advanced
|divisionname =
|boxwidth     = 100
|total        = 45
|party1       = 33
|partycolor1  = Green
|party2       = 6
|partycolor2  = Red
|party3       = 6
|partycolor3  = FireBrick
}}
|- ! style="background-color: Pink"
| Pro-Beijing || DAB || 2024 - 2027
| {{Composition_bar/advanced
|divisionname =
|boxwidth     = 100
|total        = 46
|party1       = 0
|partycolor1  = Green
|party2       = 40
|partycolor2  = Red
|party3       = 6
|partycolor3  = FireBrick
}}
|}

==Political makeup==
[[File:Current Map of Yuen Long District Council.svg|500px|right]]
[[District Councils of Hong Kong#Elections|Elections]] are held every four years.
{| class="wikitable"
! rowspan="2" | &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
! rowspan="2" | Political party
! colspan="7" | Council members
! colspan="25" rowspan="2" | Current members
|-
! [[1994 Yuen Long District Board election|1994]]
! [[1999 Yuen Long District Council election|1999]]
! [[2003 Yuen Long District Council election|2003]]
! [[2007 Yuen Long District Council election|2007]]
! [[2011 Yuen Long District Council election|2011]]
! [[2015 Yuen Long District Council election|2015]]
! [[2019 Yuen Long District Council election|2019]]
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Independent (politician)}} | &nbsp;
| [[Independent (politician)|Independent]]
| style="text-align: right" | ''15''
| style="text-align: right" | ''14''
| style="text-align: right" | ''17''
| style="text-align: right" | ''15''
| style="text-align: right" | ''14''
| style="text-align: right" | ''17''
| style="text-align: right" | '''20'''
| {{Infobox political party/seats|25|45|hex={{party color|Independent (politician)}}}}
|-
| bgcolor={{party color|Democratic Party (Hong Kong)}} | &nbsp;
| [[Democratic Party (Hong Kong)|Democratic]]
| style="text-align: right" | ''3''
| style="text-align: right" | ''1''
| style="text-align: right" | ''2''
| style="text-align: right" | ''2''
| style="text-align: right" | ''3''
| style="text-align: right" | ''2''
| style="text-align: right" | '''7'''
| {{Infobox political party/seats|7|45|hex={{party color|DPHK}}}}
|-
| style="background-color:{{party color|Tin Shui Wai Connection}}"| &nbsp;
| [[Tin Shui Wai Connection|TSWC]]
| style="text-align: right" | ''-''
| style="text-align: right" | ''-''
| style="text-align: right" | ''-''
| style="text-align: right" | ''-''
| style="text-align: right" | ''-''
| style="text-align: right" | ''-''
| style="text-align: right" | '''4'''
| {{Infobox political party/seats|3|45|hex={{party color|Tin Shui Wai Connection}}}}
|-
| style="background-color:{{party color|Action 18}}"| &nbsp;
| [[Action 18]]
| style="text-align: right" | ''-''
| style="text-align: right" | ''-''
| style="text-align: right" | ''-''
| style="text-align: right" | ''-''
| style="text-align: right" | ''-''
| style="text-align: right" | ''-''
| style="text-align: right" | '''2'''
| {{Infobox political party/seats|2|45|hex={{party color|Action 18}}}}
|-
| style="background-color:{{party color|Yuen Long Tin Shui Wai Democratic Alliance}}"| &nbsp;
| [[Yuen Long Tin Shui Wai Democratic Alliance|DA]]
| style="text-align: right" | ''-''
| style="text-align: right" | ''-''
| style="text-align: right" | ''4''
| style="text-align: right" | ''1''
| style="text-align: right" | ''-''
| style="text-align: right" | ''1''
| style="text-align: right" | '''2'''
| {{Infobox political party/seats|2|45|hex={{party color|Yuen Long Tin Shui Wai Democratic Alliance}}}}
|-
| style="background-color:{{party color|Civic Passion}}"| &nbsp;
| [[Civic Passion]]
| style="text-align: right" | ''-''
| style="text-align: right" | ''-''
| style="text-align: right" | ''-''
| style="text-align: right" | ''-''
| style="text-align: right" | ''-''
| style="text-align: right" | ''-''
| style="text-align: right" | '''1'''
| {{Infobox political party/seats|1|45|hex={{party color|Civic Passion}}}}
|-
| style="background-color:{{party color|Tin Shui Wai Livelihood Progression Union}}"| &nbsp;
| [[Tin Shui Wai Livelihood Progression Union|TSWLPU]]
| style="text-align: right" | ''-''
| style="text-align: right" | ''-''
| style="text-align: right" | ''-''
| style="text-align: right" | ''-''
| style="text-align: right" | ''-''
| style="text-align: right" | ''-''
| style="text-align: right" | '''-'''
| {{Infobox political party/seats|1|45|hex={{party color|Tin Shui Wai Livelihood Progression Union}}}}
|-
|}

==District result maps==
<gallery>
File:1994DBelectionmapm.svg|'''1994'''
File:1999DCelectionmapm.svg|'''1999'''
File:2003DCelectionmapm.svg|'''2003'''
File:2007DCelectionmapm.svg|'''2007'''
File:2011DCelectionmapm.svg|'''2011'''
File:Yuen Long District Council 2015.svg|'''2015 '''
File:Yuen Long District Council (2019).svg|'''2019 '''
</gallery>

==Members represented==
{{#section-h:7th District Councils of Hong Kong|Yuen Long}}

==Leadership==
===Chairs===
Since 1985, the chairman is elected by all the members of the board:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan=2| Chairman !! Years !! Political Affiliation 
|-
|style="color:inherit;background:{{party color|Nonpartisan}}"| || Fung Kwok-keung || 1981–1982 || ''District Officer'' 
|-
|style="color:inherit;background:{{party color|Nonpartisan}}"| || J. K. Wilson || 1982–1985 || ''District Officer'' 
|-
|style="color:inherit;background:{{party color|Heung Yee Kuk}}"| || Tai Kuen || 1985–1999 || [[Heung Yee Kuk]] 
|-
|style="color:inherit;background:{{party color|Hong Kong Progressive Alliance}}"| || [[Tang Siu-tong]] || 2000–2007 || [[Hong Kong Progressive Alliance|PA]]→[[Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong|DAB]] 
|-
|style="color:inherit;background:{{party color|DABHK}}"| || [[Leung Che-cheung]] || 2008–2015 || [[Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong|DAB]]/[[New Territories Association of Societies|NTAS]] 
|-
|style="color:inherit;background:{{party color|Heung Yee Kuk}}"| || Shum Ho-kit || 2016–2019|| [[Heung Yee Kuk]] 
|-
|style="color:inherit;background:{{party color|DPHK}}"| || [[Zachary Wong|Zachary Wong Wai-ying]] || 2020–2021|| [[Democratic Party (Hong Kong)|Democratic]]
|-
|style="color:inherit;background:{{party color|Independent (politician)}}"| || Shum Ho-kit || 2021–2023|| [[Independent (politician)|Independent]] 
|-
|style="color:inherit;background:{{party color|Nonpartisan}}"| || Gordon Wu Tin-yau || 2024–present || ''District Officer'' 
|}

===Vice Chairs===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!colspan=2| Vice Chairman !! Years !! Political Affiliation
|-
|style="color:inherit;background:{{party color|DABHK}}"| || [[Leung Che-cheung]] || 2000–2008 || [[Democratic Alliance for the Betterment and Progress of Hong Kong|DAB]] 
|-
|style="color:inherit;background:{{party color|Heung Yee Kuk}}"| || Tang Yun-chor || 2008–2011 || [[Heung Yee Kuk]] 
|-
|style="color:inherit;background:{{party color|Heung Yee Kuk}}"| ||Leung Fuk-yuen|| 2011 || [[Heung Yee Kuk]] 
|-
|style="color:inherit;background:{{party color|New People's Party (Hong Kong)}}"| ||Wong Wai-shun|| 2012–2019|| [[New People's Party (Hong Kong)|NPP]]→[[Business and Professionals Alliance for Hong Kong|BPA]] 
|-
|style="color:inherit;background:{{party color|Yuen Long Tin Shui Wai Democratic Alliance}}"| || [[Johnny Mak|Johnny Mak Ip-sing]] || 2020–2021|| [[Democratic Alliance (Hong Kong)|Democratic Alliance]] 
|-
|style="color:inherit;background:{{party color|Independent (politician)}}"| || Tang Ho-lin || 2021–2023|| [[Independent (politician)|Independent]] 
|}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [https://www.districtcouncils.gov.hk/yl/english/welcome/welcome.html Yuen Long District Council]
{{coord missing|Hong Kong}}
{{Yuen Long District Council elections}}
{{Hong Kong topic |suffix=Council|title=[[District Councils of Hong Kong]]}}
{{Yuen Long District Council Constituencies}}

[[Category:Yuen Long District Council| ]]
[[Category:Districts of Hong Kong]]
[[Category:Yuen Long District]]