(The Government held the oath-taking ceremony for members of the seventh term District Councils at the Conference Hall of the Central Government Offices today . )

Hong Kong's 470 new district councillors took their oaths of office on Monday, with Chief Executive John Lee urging them to serve as a bridge between the government and the public.Lee said the councils are no longer politicised and betraying Hong Kong and the country, and instead they are of quality, more pragmatic and more focused on district affairs.

District councillors must be able to convey the messages of the authorities to the public and report back the opinions within the community to the administration, the CE said, adding that their responsibilities also include safeguarding national security and supporting work to introduce the SAR's own security legislation.

Home and youth affairs chief Alice Mak, who administered Monday's oath-taking, said new district councillors will hold their first official meetings this week, and form working groups on shoring up the local economy."They will put forward measures that meet the needs of their districts, reflect the situation there, and revitalise the economy at district level. Such work must be continuous," she said.Mak said she is confident that district councillors can meet all the targets set during their tenure.

"We will set some work goals that everyone can achieve, based on the actual situation in the district. Our purpose is not to have everyone simply meet their targets. Our purpose is to hope that everyone can work towards the goals and plans to better serve the public," she said.

The minister added that she has spoken to Housing Secretary Winnie Ho about assisting district councillors to set up offices in housing estates.

New district councillors, for their part, vowed to connect the government and members of the public, including Jacky Lee in Kowloon City. He said he will be a "good assistant" to the administration.

Apple Lai, who represents Tuen Mun, said she will focus on tackling livelihood issues in her district, while Yau Tsim Mong councillor Chris Ip said he hopes to ensure people's views are well reflected to the government.