Hong Kong Watch hosts seminar on election and voting with local Councillors in Wimbledon

As part of Hong Kong Watch’s political and civic engagement series, Hong Kong Watch hosted an event in Wimbledon on Thursday to encourage local BNO Hong Kongers to register to vote and to engage with the upcoming elections in the UK, both mayoral and General. 

26 participants came to Wimbledon to hear from Cllr Eleanor Stringer, Labour Councillor for Wandle and Deputy Leader of the Council, Cllr Paul Kohler, Liberal Democrat Councillor for Wimbledon Town and Dundonald, and Cllr Nick McLean, Conservative Councillor for Cannon Hill and Leader of the Conservative Group at Merton Council. 

The seminar, moderated by Hong Kong Watch co-founder and Chief Executive Benedict Rogers, invited the councillors to share their experiences of local government, explain the roles and responsibilities of Councillors, and outline the ways in which Councillors, MPs, and the Mayor’s Office work together to deliver for their constituencies. 

In the course of the Q&A, Hong Kongers were able to ask additional questions about privacy and anonymity in the UK electoral voting system, the funding of local councils, and the differences in core values between the three major parties. 

This event was supported by the Greater London Authority (GLA) as part of Hong Kong Watch’s political and civic engagement series, which aims to forge connections within the Hong Kong BNO community and explore the ways they can engage with civic and democratic processes in the UK. This is a strictly cross-party and impartial series.

We would like to thank our guests Cllr Eleanor Stringer, Cllr Paul Kohler, and Cllr Nick McLean for taking the time to speak with Hong Kongers and listen to their concerns. We would like to extend special thanks to Cllr McLean for stepping in at short notice to help out with the event. 

香港監察聯同跨黨派市議員舉辦英國選舉研討會 鼓勵BNO港人踴躍投票

香港監察週四在溫布頓舉辦公民及政治參與系列活動，鼓勵BNO港人登記成為選民，並在即將來臨的倫敦市長選舉及英國大選中踴躍投票。

26位參加者來到溫布頓細聽嘉賓分享。三名來自默頓區議會的講者包括：Wandle區工黨市議員兼默頓區議會副主席Eleanor Stringer、Wimbledon Town and Dundonald區自由民主黨市議員Paul Kohler，以及Cannon Hill區保守黨市議員兼保守黨組別領袖Nick McLean。

今次研討會由香港監察共同創辦人兼行政總監羅傑斯（Benedict Rogers）主持，並邀請市議員分享地方政府工作經驗，解釋市議員的角色和職責，並概述市議員、國會議員和市長辦公室如何互相協調為選民服務。

在問答環節中，參加者就英國選舉投票制度的私隱和匿名措施、地方議會的資金來源，以及三大政黨核心價值的差異等議題提問。

今次活動由大倫敦政府（Greater London Authority）支持，為香港監察政治和公民參與系列的一部分。計劃旨在讓香港BNO社群建立連繫，並探索在英國參與公民及民主進程的方式。這是完全跨黨派和中立的活動系列。

香港監察非常感謝市議員Eleanor Stringer、市議員Paul Kohler和市議員Nick McLean抽空與BNO港人交流並傾聽他們的憂慮。我們特別感謝市議員Nick McLean在短時間內接受邀請並出席活動。