To think London is in a major decline?

I moved out of London to a very nearby suburb. It was not the degradation though - it was the cost.

I think the rough areas of London have always been shitty but the lack of care people take for their own areas is a worry but seems to occur across the UK. I have always found the UK filthier than some other comparable cities in other countries.

I don’t have kids but if I did have a son then I would probably move somewhere remote to keep him away for gang groomers.

The drug addiction and homelessness issue has massively worsened. I moved overseas for a decade and on returning to the UK that is the number 1 difference I noted. And beggars coming up to cars to ask for money is not something I expect in England in 2024 (maybe in the Victorian era.)

I’ve read my post and it’s rather depressing! I agree with you on how amazing London is too and fantastic opportunities of being here.

I live in the Midlands and it's even worse here, but yes London has been in slow decline for a long time too.

It's so much more noticeable when you go anywhere abroad and come back.

Not in my part of London, I live in zone 2 SW London, I have lived here 30 years. The local high street is thriving, full of coffee shops and restaurants. The transport system is fantastic, I can get to any part of London quite easily. Yes there is dog shit every where and there is litter on the streets but its always been like this. But it has certainly changed for the better not worse.
I feel London gets an unfair battering from those who live outside of London. It has so much more going for it than any other area in the country. World class theatre, museums, shops, dining, just the general buzz of London cannot be replicated anywhere else in the country. You couldn't pay me to move out of London.

London is a so much better cleaner and safer than it was in the 80s/90s.

I do agree that things in general feel a bit worse in the last few years, but that really isn’t a London thing. I think the decline of public services has been a big part of it - nothing works well, interventions for social problems are generic and not well tailored. Councils cut back things like street sweeping and reduce refuse collection and hours of street lighting to prioritise their statutory functions which does make things seem more run down. Town centres tend to be more run down and generic. Overall people are poorer and more stressed and there is a loss of “civility” and consideration. Think about the coarseness and selfishness tolerated in public life which wasn’t previously the case.

To say modern life feels a bit rubbish. But I don’t think it’s a London thing.

30 years ago I lived in London and in the space of a few months saw someone shooting up in a telephone box, our car was broken into and we were burgled. I lived in another part of London and never had any problems, So, IMHO, it's always been a shithole in parts, and other parts have been fine.

It's the same now. We have friends who live in a decent area. But you also hear horror stories.

I agree it’s gone downhill massively, and I’m talking about fairly gentrified/posh parts of London. Lots of shops closing as well, crime/thefts increasing…
We’re so fed up we’re leaving this summer after over 25 years in this country, going back to our home country in the EU. Since Brexit this place has lost the appeal it used to have. We’re high earners, paying huge taxes in this country but getting very little in return so we’re done.

Bloomsbury is perfectly OK. However, I don’t think UK infrastructure is very good outside of London. Go to Boston or Skegness rail station (which admittedly is finally being done up). Pretty grim.

Agreed, my DD and I were recently in Camberwell, just walking down the street and we were aware that a group of men were sort of stalking us. They were not walking together but we caught them casting glances to each other. Next thing a black cab screeched to a halt next to us and the driver shouted watch yourself ladies.
We got in his cab and he told us that he actually recognises that particular gang of thugs and they regularly target women to rob.
Nothing gets done about it though.

I live in SE London and I think it's pretty lovely. Streets are clean, we've just got a lovely new square in the centre of our area, parks are great. I think a lot of London was rougher and more run down when I moved here 20 years ago. I'm sure there are drugs and gangs but I never see it. I do think there are some economic and social problems in the country but I don't think an 'everything is going to the dogs' mentality is always correct or helpful.

Lived there in the 90s. Think I had the best of it.

Went back recently, found it very commercial…

The London buzz was hard to find, it’s soulless.

First post nails it! Just be grateful you can travel to the nicer bits OP 😁

Yup, I'm SW London born and raised but one of my kids needed to go study in eu (she's underage) so we are most of the year now in eu. Wow what a difference. I go back to London reluctantly and at first I was in tears leaving. Now any holidays I don't bother going back every time, instead friends and family prefer to come visit me.
My area isn't even that rough but it's just dirty with dog poo etc, seems everyone is smoking cannabis (here we don't even get a whiff ever!) And I can't adjust to being that little bit more aware. Atm I carry my phone back pocket of jeans without even worrying I'll get robbed 😂
Omg and my local shopping centre in London got done up but its only got like a handful of shops. All the big shops closed and for good like Debenham etc been empty for years. Just looks sad. Up the hill there's a nice little range of shops and restaurants and bars but as a mum I don't really care for those anymore!
I've not officially moved out of London but I go back less and less and really have to consider what my next moves are. I think living somewhere peaceful and going back really just opens your eyes.

I lived in Herne Hill pre-gentrification because it was cheap, and DH was mugged at knife point outside our front door. It’s changed completely in the last 20-odd years, I gather.

Also, I know the area I lived in had so much crime 20 years ago people were terrified to leave the house at night - my hairdresser told me he used to see people robbed an knife point in front of his shop. The same area that now has lovely cafes, restaurants and lots of middle class hippies mingling at night. To me, this is the opposite of "decline".

Couldn’t agree more with your OP.

One thing that worries me greatly is the surge of sexual harassment on public transport.

i have noticed new posters when I was recently on the Tube about pressing being an unwanted sexual harassment. We already have the warnings they staring is harassment as well.

It worries me that there is even the need for that and that it obviously seems to be escalating.

And also bloody rubbish everywhere.

There are some very rough spots in London, if you don’t like the particular area you live in then move as living in those surroundings can have a direct impact on your MH, I lived in London for 15 years and the area that I was living in for the last 3 years (Tottenham) was so grim that it was part of the reason I left London altogether, every time I left the house you just see miserable shit every where

I lived in some lovely areas as well but a lot of London is quite grim and depressing

Of all the areas that I lived in , I probably thought South Clapham was the least grim

No increase in dogshit here (SW London Z3) even though a huge increase in dog ownership. A bit more open drug dealing (but it was always there, just not as blatant). Otherwise not really noticed any difference.

Well if you are nearby you must know that house prices are not consistent, you get crappy council blocks and insanely expensive houses on the next street.

The way we see it so differently only confirms that one persons' "decline" is the other persons "business as usual"... But I love London and would never want to live anywhere else - if I had to leave it I would leave the country.

YABU, London has always had good bits and bad bits. Good day and bad days

We're zone 2 W/NW London.

Definitely an increase in dog shit since covid. A spate of violent incidents lately too.

But my god. I grew up in this area and it was much more 'edgy' / dangerous back in the nineties.

So I agree there's been a bit of a decline lately but it hasn't yet slipped back to where we were... and I hope it won't.

My siblings have lived in London for decades. No problems. They love it. I suppose that like everywhere, there are good areas and bad areas.

How is this to do with Brexit? Why do people like you wilfully ignore the impact the Tory/LibDem austerity policy has had on the UK.