Inner London

Inner London is the name for the group of London boroughs which form the interior part of Greater London and are surrounded by Outer London. The area was first officially defined in 1965 [Saint, A., "Politics and the people of London: the London County Council (1889-1965)", (1989)] and for purposes such as statistics, the definition has changed over time. [http://apps.newham.gov.uk/aboutus/PositivelyinnerLondon.pdf Newham London Borough Council] - Positively Inner London] The terms "Inner London" and "Central London" cannot be used interchangeably to mean the same area.

It is the richest inner city in the European Union, with a GDP per capita of €76,052 in 2005, ahead of Frankfurt (€75,415 per capita) and Paris (€75,235 per capita). [cite web| url=http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/extraction/evalight/EVAlight.jsp?A=1&language=en&root=/theme1/regio/econ-r/esa95/gdp95/e3gdp95| title=Table: E3GDP95 = Gross domestic product (GDP) at current market prices at NUTS level 3| author=Eurostat| accessdate=2007-04-19]

London Government Act 1963

ILEA's Inner London

ONS's Inner London

The inner London boroughs were defined by the London Government Act 1963, [Office of Public Sector Information - [http://www.opsi.gov.uk/RevisedStatutes/Acts/ukpga/1963/cukpga_19630033_en_1 London Government Act 1963 (c.33) (as amended)] ] for the purposes such as the Inner London Education Authority. They correspond to the former area of the County of London. These inner London boroughs are:

*Camden
*Ealing
*Greenwich
*Hackney
*Hammersmith and Fulham
*Islington
*Kensington and Chelsea
*Lambeth
*Lewisham
*Southwark
*Tower Hamlets
*Wandsworth
*City of Westminster

The City of London was not part of the County of London and is not a London Borough but can be included. North Woolwich is an anomaly as it was part of the County of London but was transferred to Newham, an outer London borough, in 1965.

ONS definition (statistics)

The Office for National Statistics and the Census uses the term, including Haringey and Newham in Inner London, but Greenwich in Outer London. This is also used by Eurostat at level 2. The land area is 319 km² (123 sq. miles) and the population in 2005 (midyear estimate) was 2,985,700.

Historical population

Figures before 1971 have been reconstructed by the Office for National Statistics based on past censuses in order to fit the 2001 limits. Figures from 1981 onward are midyear estimates (revised as of 2004), which are more accurate than the censuses themselvesFact|date=July 2007, known to underestimate the population of London.

1891, April 5/6 4,488,242 1901, March 31/April 1 4,859,558 1911, April 2/3 4,998,237 1921, June 19/20 4,972,870 1931, April 26/27 4,893,261 1939, Midyear estimate 4,364,457 1951, April 8/9 3,679,390 1961, April 23/24 3,492,879 1971, April 25/26 3,031,935 1981, Midyear estimate 2,550,100 1991, Midyear estimate 2,599,300 2001, Midyear estimate 2,859,400 2003, Midyear estimate 2,904,600 2004, Midyear estimate 2,931,100 2005, Midyear estimate 2,985,700

Other definitions

The area covered by the London postal district is sometimes referred to as 'Inner London'. [HMSO, "The Inner London Letter Post", (1980) ] However it is not coterminous with other definitions of Inner London as its area is somewhat larger and covers 624 km² (241 sq. miles). A small part of the London Borough of Lewisham falls outside its boundaries whilst 44 of its 119 districts are in Outer London and its irregular shape stretches to the Greater London boundary at Scratch Wood and beyond it at Sewardstone.

From 1990 to 2000 London used two area codes with a separate dialling code designated for "Inner London", however the area covered by this code was widely different from all of the above definitions and the city is now covered by a single "020" dialling code.

The term can also be used in a variety of other contexts with different meanings.

Funding

The London Borough of Newham is seeking recognition as an Inner London borough for central government grants, as this would have financial benefits for the borough. It is not currently considered an Inner London Borough as it did not form part of the County of London.

References