"People simply can not afford to bring up their children in London, Katherine Hill, a strategic programme manager at London child poverty charity 4in10, told assembly members on Tuesday. The numbers simply don't add up. They are faced with the choice of not having any children or moving out to have them. The expert said there is clear data that there is an exodus of people with children leaving London, warning:"
"Ms Hill also highlighted how schools represent far more than bricks and mortar and warned that if a city does not have children it is a sign of an unhealthy, thriving city. They are places where people come together to learn, socialise and support one another and they are very much at the heart of our communities, she said. If we lose them we are losing much more than just figures on a graph."
London is experiencing a rapid decline in its child population as families are increasingly priced out of the capital. Primary pupil numbers have fallen by 150,000 since 2019, with declines in London occurring faster and starting earlier than in the rest of the country. The fall is linked to a sustained drop in birth rates since 2012 and current cost-of-living pressures pushing young families to relocate. School closures, including long-established institutions, leave empty buildings and erode community hubs. Reduced child populations threaten social cohesion, local services, and the long-term character of the city.
Read at www.standard.co.uk
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