of scraping and saving for a house of one’s own meant the hallmarks of a middle
class lifestyle – a driveway, a garden, and much-mocked net curtains. A house in the
suburbs meant a refuge from the excesses and strains of inner city life.
There is increasing evidence to suggest that the picket fences have lost their sheen,
outshone by the bright lights of the inner city. The doughnut has had its day – a
phenomenon that has been termed the ‘great inversion’ by urbanist Alan Ehrenhalt.
The lines between inner and outer London have indeed become blurred on a
widening range of indicators.
“The lines between inner and outer London have indeed become
blurred on a widening range of indicators”
Inner city areas such as Hackney and Brixton have become the stomping ground of
well-heeled young professionals. Since 2008, more 20 to 30 year olds have been
moving to London than leaving, reversing a long-standing pattern of domestic
departure. This group constitutes London’s largest age group. Inner London has
become desirable, and with it the trappings of the urban lifestyle.
Nor is it just individuals who are deciding to invest in inner London – so too are
businesses. Take the Tea building in Shoreditch, or Google’s new headquarters in
King’s Cross. Labour would do well to ensure that its policies keep up with this
younger, and often more footloose inner city demographic.
Cycling is a key priority, given the recent increase in inner city commuting via bike.
Housing is another. The private rental sector has grown exponentially in inner London
boroughs such as Westminster and Tower Hamlets. Dissatisfaction in the sector has
grown too, and Labour needs to take a strong line on regulating letting agents and
improving tenancy security.
Demographic changes mean that while inner London may have an above average
number of individuals aged between 25 and 34, birth rates are increasingly more
rapidly in outer London than in any other part of the UK. Children aged between 5
and 15 make for a larger proportion of the outer London population than any other
region in the UK. Labour needs to show not only that it understands these
demographic changes, but that is willing to incorporate this understanding into
governance and financial structures. This may include a restructuring of the schools
funding formula, so that funding levels are defined by demographics rather than
inner/outer status.
These changing demographics have a stark effect on social economic indicators. Five
inner London boroughs have unemployment rates below the London average. It is
the outer London boroughs of Barking and Newham that now have the highest
unemployment rates, overtaking Tower Hamlets. Child poverty rates in inner London
revolutionise.it
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