Report on increasing gap between rich & poor. What's a London without 'average' families like?

[BrummieOnTheRun]

The Rowntree report published today describes the increasing gap between the richest and poorest in society, with increasing segregation between their lives.

One observation in the report is that 'average' families had virtually disappeared in some areas.

As one family amongst what seems like a mass exodus of families from London in the last year, I was interested to read that.

Does it matter if the only families left in large cities like london are the really rich and those reliant on state benefits?

Should cities try to retain 'average' working families, or just let this trend take its course?

yes, that's what i think has changed, cd

far fewer "affordable" areas

places that were not partic desirable a few years ago now poncified (balham, wandsworth, etc)

a few postcodes will stay ghetto-ised, imo

like whitechapel, where dh bought moons ago (failed to make much £)

i on the other hand bought in wandsworth in 1998 and made a mint there

Also a lot of previously poncy areas are now just colonised by Euro bankers etc and very few English people left!

the street in hackney where dh lived as a child included his family (dad was child psychologist, mum was sahm), the founder of the jewellers Graff, a blackcab driver - all different religions, education levels etc.

When I moved to Putney it was dullsville, lots of oldies etc

Now it is all 20 somethings and vile bars

in less than 10 years the entire demographic of the area has changed out of all recognition

cd, that's how i felt about tw9 at the end - partic true becasue was in new development though - lots of euro and us bankers

no real community feel - everyone tenants

Our first flat was 42 k and twice dp's salary.The same flats are now 270k plus and are 10 times the average salary.

I'm in Southfields...there is the grid with where all the middle class people are leaving and the others...I'm one of them but even if I dont live in the Grid..I dont want to have to leaveeee...The only tought makes me sick.

Yes

SW14 (well the bit North of the S Circular) is marvellously unaffected it seems

Lots of nice real people

is that the other side to parkside? friends used to live in portland ave

Yes
Parkside is v nobby

We thought about moving there but several people we knew who had advised us against it on grounds of unfriendliness

One rather vile woman (who I didn't know but met dogwalking) hissed at me sotto voce that there was a lot of "new money" and old biddies and that everyone was very unfriendly

pmsl

we went to see a house on sheen lane (parkside)

was ridiculously overpriced

and terrible traffic

arf at new money

not much old money left in sw london love

yes re traffic

thta is one thing blissful re new home

quite
i ran away citing imminent nursery pick-up (a lie)

right

off to reflexology (get this baby out)

love to sw14

have fun

But it's not just the gentrified (poncified ?) areas where the "average" family are priced out. We live in Peckham - not even the comparatively nicer bit near the station - and cannot afford even a 2 bed house. This is with two slightly above average key worker wages coming in.

I am the youngest person in my office to have bought a property. The others my age, and some older, rent. When they come to buy, they will leave London. Who will replace these keyworkers?

Oh, we lived in SW5 - everyone was a Euro banker and none of the wives worked, but they all had part time nannies, au pairs, sent their kids to nurseries....
I mean how many investment bankers does the world need ???

It was the most horrendous year of my life when I gave up my work and tried to network in Earls Court and South Kensington

No, cd, it wasn't ever thus. The GAP has got bigger. Yes, areas have changed in the past etc but the gap between haves and have nots is larger, is what the report is saying.

And it does matter, I think. And agree, it's not just 'nice' areas.

Blackheath, SE3 has totally lost its average earner residents, so yes, there is an exodus of younger potential homeowners. The only people we know on average incomes where we used to live are aged 50 plus.
We're both in the public sector and the only reason we can afford our house in an outer suburb of London is because we made an obscene profit on our tiny 1.5 bedroom Blackheath flat. It is currently on the market for roughly the same as we'd get now for our 3 bed semi in a non-desirable but just about respectable postcode. Both properties would be out of our reach financially and we both earn more than the average salary.
I think the German model has a lot to offer, as berolina says. As a society we need to stop stigmatising renters as untrustworthy transients, while at the same time as screwing them for every penny we can

I like blackheath..

marina, I have emailed you back but heavens knows if you have got it

in N4 it's spiralling because of the city types who now live in islington etc pushing up the prices towards highbury and then onto us/crouch end/stroud green