Former Hong Kong chief executive Carrie Lam has welcomed the relocation of her office from a premium commercial complex unit, which cost taxpayers over HK$9 million to run in the 2023-24 fiscal year, to a government-owned building that is currently under renovation.
Former Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam. File photo: Candice Chau/HKFP.
Lam’s office told HKFP on Monday afternoon that it would move from rented premises at One Pacific Place in Admiralty to the 23rd floor of Immigration Tower in Wan Chai ahead of the expiry of its current lease in mid-May.
The office said it had been advised that the Immigration Tower premises would be available for use for at least three years. The relocation would take place as soon as essential renovation works at the Immigration Tower premises – the former headquarters of the Immigration Department – were completed, it said. Local media previously reported that the complex would be demolished next year.
“Mrs Lam welcomes the relocation which will save recurrent rental cost while at the same time enable her to continue discharging the former CE’s [Chief Executive] duties,”the office wrote in an email to HKFP confirming earlier media reports about the move.
The government said last October that it would find alternatives to Lam’s current office, which cost around HK$9.17 million to run in the 2023-24 fiscal year. According to the authorities, over half of that sum was spent on “rent and related expenses.”
The figure marked a 32 per cent increase compared to the previous financial year.
One Pacific Place. File photo: Candice Chau/HKFP.
The Administration Wing said in July 2022 that the monthly rent of Lam’s 2,874-square-foot office above the high-end shopping mall would be HK$377,000 as part of a three-year rental contract. The unit met the security requirement and operational needs, including allowing the ex-leader to receive visiting dignitaries and delegations and give local and overseas media interviews, the government said.
Lawmakers had asked the government whether there were ways to reduce expenditure on the former chief executive’s office.
Lam is the only one of the city’s four former chief executives whose offices are not housed on government property. The Office of Former Chief Executives, a Grade I historic building in Mid-Levels, is home to the offices of ex-leaders Tung Chee-hwa, Donald Tsang and Leung Chun-ying. According to the government, there was not enough space to accommodate Lam.
After her term ended in June 2022, Lam has kept a relatively low profile. She attended important government events including the flag-raising ceremonies and receptions for marking the city’s Handover anniversary and China’s National Day.
