InfoIslington - Islington Reference Library

Measuring Diversity

One of the big questions of our times is how well individuals from different ethnic groups get along together. Schools are an important place where this interaction takes place. It is a common saying that individuals' attitudes are strongly influenced by their school days. So the peer groups that children play with, talk to and work with are important factors moulding their perspectives on society. The extent of ethnic diversity in schools is an important issue of public debate. This website provides some facts to enlighten this debate.

Measuring Diversity provides information on ethnic segregation in schools in England. The results are up-to-date and comprehensive. Measuring segregation is not straightforward, so we aim to provide policy-makers and researchers with timely information to monitor and understand this complex issue. The statistics on this website have been calculated at the Centre for Market and Public Organisation (CMPO), an independent research centre at the University of Bristol, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council.

We provide links to organisations formulating policies to promote diversity and social cohesion. In time, we hope to build a collection of research papers for users to access.

London's Poverty Profile

London's Poverty Profile is an independent assessment of poverty and inequality in the capital. It brings together different indicators to reveal how London compares to the rest of the country, how populations within London differ, and how London has changed over time. In its third review of progress, in October 2011, the key findings were:

• Since the original report, over the period which covers the recession, child poverty has fallen in London, while working-age poverty has risen. But the number of children and working-age adults in in-work poverty grew. Over one million people now live in low-income families where at least one adult is working, an increase of 60% over the last decade.
• Housing costs are a critical factor in explaining why London has the highest poverty rates of all England's regions. Taking account of housing costs, the poverty rate in London is 28%, compared to 22% in the rest of England, and the gap has grown in the last decade.
• 220,000 households live in overcrowded accommodation,  60,000 more than a decade ago with most of this increase in the private rented sector.
• The proportion of households in temporary accommodation has nearly halved since 2005 and has fallen since the last report but is still 10 times higher than the English average. London now accounts for 75% of all households in temporary accommodation in England, and most are housed in the private rented sector.
• Housing benefit changes mean that many parts of Inner London, particularly the Inner West, may become unaffordable for low-income families renting privately. Outer London boroughs, where housing is cheaper, often have lower levels of public services per head: 8 of the 10 primary care trusts with the fewest GPs per population are in Outer London and 35% of Outer London primary schools are full or overcrowded, compared to 19% in Inner London.
• The poorest 50% have less than 5% of financial or poverty wealth. The richest 10% have 40% of income wealth, 45% of property wealth and 65% of financial wealth.
• The number of unemployed Londoners is now above 400,000, the highest number since 1996, and the rate is rising more quickly than the national average. In total 900,000 working-age adults were either unemployed, economically inactive but wanting a job, or in a part-time job because they could not find a full-time one.
• The unemployment rate among young people is at its highest level for nearly 20 years (23%) and is still rising. Despite, on average, being better qualified than other young people in the rest of England, young Londoners are more likely to be unemployed.
• The number of low-paid jobs  has increased by 60,000 since 2005 and now numbers 470,000, although the proportion of jobs which are low-paid remains the same at 1 in 7. Nearly 50% of young adults are paid less than the London Living Wage.
• Educational attainment continues to improve and children eligible for free school meals in London are more likely to attain minimum developmental and educational standards at age 5, 11 and 16 than similarly poor children in the rest of England.
• Poor children in London are more likely to lack everyday items than their counterparts outside London, with 60% of children in low-income families unable to afford a week's holiday away from home.
• Babies born in Southwark, Croydon, Haringey and Harrow are twice as likely to die before their 1st birthday than those born in Bromley, Kingston and Richmond. Adults in Hackney are twice as likely to die before the age of 65 as those in Kensington & Chelsea.

4 in 10

4 in 10 London children live in poverty. The 4in10 project is a network of London based organisations – from public, voluntary and private sector – with an interest in tackling child poverty in the capital. 4In10 campaigns on child poverty in London, and provides training and support, information and resources, practice sharing and networking opportunities to its members. Based at Save the Children it has its own website and its resource library has many important resources.

Islington Youth Council

Election campaigning for the youth council begins on Saturday 14 January 2012 and will end on Wednesday 8 February with elections on Thursday 9 February.

The youth council will have up to eight elected youth councillors, who will be able to stay in their role for up to two years. Together, they will work to:

• represent the views of children and young people in Islington
• help determine how money is spent on services for children and young people
• share their views with the council and its partners on issues affecting children and young people
• help make decisions about issues that affect young people
• improve the range and quality of activities and places to go for young people in Islington
• fundraise for local charities and causes for young people.

London Housing Market Report

The London Housing Market Report  from the Greater London Authority summarises key trends in London’s housing market, including prices, affordability, repossessions and new housing construction. Where possible, comparisons are made between trends in London and the rest of the country, as national trends may mask significant regional differences. Where the data allows, timelines are standardised to begin in 2006.

This report is updated on a quarterly basis.

London Happiness and Well Being

In November 2010, the Prime Minister asked the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to develop measures of general well-being that complement traditional measures of progress reporting such as GDP, in order to better understand the impact of public policy.

The ONS are continuing to consult on the headline well-being indicators, and from April 2012 will publish subjective and objective measures of well-being. The  Greater London Authority have published an Intelligence Update considering alternative sources of well-being data currently available for London consideration, including:

• Findings of the Taking Part Survey (DCMS), which show that between 2005/06 and 2010/11 the average happiness score has increased slightly in London.
• Release of a GLA Intelligence Uni tool that aims to measure well-being at ward level.

Health in Islington: The Facts - Update 2011

A revised edition for 2011 of the 8 page introduction to the health statistics of the population of Islington. Well presented and laid out.

Annual Public Health Report 2011: Extending Life in Islington

This year’s report looks at people living with long term conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, and respiratory problems. It highlights some key areas for local health services to improve the management and care of people with long term conditions, as well as opportunities to offer more support to make lifestyle changes, which should help to reduce early deaths in the borough.

London Criminal Justice Performance Report Islington

RADAR is a monthly report from the London Criminal Justice Partnership that is full of useful statistical information on crime enforcement and attitudes to crime. The detailed information is presented on a borough and regional level.

Islington Council Statement of Accounts

The Council has released its final statement of accounts for 2010-11.