Everything about Greater London totally explained
Greater London is the top-level administrative subdivision covering
London,
England. The administrative area was officially created in 1965 and covers the
City of London (including
Middle Temple and
Inner Temple) and 32
London boroughs.
Status
Greater London isn't a city in that it doesn't have official
city status granted by the Crown. This is because one of the
London boroughs,
Westminster, is officially a city, as well as the
City of London itself which would make such a status anomalous. Despite this, Greater London is commonly regarded as a city in the general sense of a municipality. A
Lord Lieutenant of Greater London is appointed for its area, less the City of London; an area identical to the
Metropolitan Police District; and for the purposes of the
Lieutenancies Act 1997 this area is defined as a
county.
The term "London" is normally used in reference to Greater London or to the overall conurbation, but not often to the ancient, tiny
City of London in east central London. Instead, this small area is often referred to simply as "the City" or "the Square Mile" and it forms the main financial district. Archaically the urbanised area of London was known as the
Metropolis. In common usage, the terms 'London' and 'Greater London' are usually used interchangeably. The
Greater London Authority (GLA) comprises a regional assembly called the
London Assembly and an executive head known as the
Mayor of London. The current Mayor of London is
Boris Johnson who isn't to be confused with the
Lord Mayor of the City of London. He is scrutinised by an elected
London Assembly, which may amend his annual budget (by two-thirds majority) but otherwise lacks the power to block his directives. The headquarters of the GLA is at
City Hall in
Southwark. The Mayor is responsible for Greater London's strategic planning and is required to produce a
London Plan document.
Local government
Greater London is divided into 32 London boroughs, each governed by a London borough council; and the City of London, which has a unique government dating back to the 12th century.
For Borough twinning see
List of London Borough twinnings.
Demographics
With increasing industrialisation, London's population grew rapidly throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, and was the most populated city in the world until overtaken by New York in 1925. Its population peaked at 8,615,245 in 1939. There were an estimated 7,512,400 official residents in Greater London as of mid-2006. However, London's continuous urban area extends beyond the borders of Greater London and was home to an estimated 9,332,000 people in 2005, while its wider metropolitan area has a population of between 12 and 14 million depending on the definition of that area. According to Eurostat, London is the most populous city and metropolitan area of the European Union.
The region covers an area of 1,579 square kilometres. The population density is 4,761 people per square kilometre, more than ten times that of any other British region. In terms of population, London is the 25th largest city and the 17th largest metropolitan region in the world. It is also ranked 4th in the world in number of billionaires (United States Dollars) residing in the city. London ranks as one of the most expensive cities in the world, alongside Tokyo and Moscow.
Ethnic groups
In the 2001 census, 71.15% of these seven and a half million people classed their ethnic group as white, including White British (59.79%), White Irish (3.07%) or "Other White" (8.29%, mostly Greek Cypriot, Italian and French). 12.09% classed themselves as British Asian, including Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi and "Other Asian" (mostly Sri Lankan, Arab and other Southern Asian ethnicities). 10.91% classed themselves as Black British (around 7% as Black African, 4.79% as Black Caribbean, 0.84% as "Other Black"). 3.15% were of mixed race; 1.12% as Chinese; and 1.58% as other (mostly Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese and other "British Orientals"). 21.8% of inhabitants were born outside the European Union. The Irish, from both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, number about 200,000, as do the Scots and Welsh combined.
In January 2005, a survey of London's ethnic and religious diversity claimed that there were more than 300 languages spoken and more than 50 non-indigenous communities which have a population of more than 10,000 in London. Figures from the Office for National Statistics show that, as of 2006, London's foreign-born population is 2,288,000 (31%), up from 1,630,000 in 1997. The 2001 census showed that 27.1% of Greater London's population were born outside the UK, and a slightly higher proportion were classed as non-white.
The table below shows the 'Country of Birth' of London residents in 2001, the date of the last UK Census. (Top 21). Note that a portion of the German-born population are likely to be British nationals born to parents serving in the British armed forces in Germany.
Country of Birth Population (2001)United Kingdom 5,230,155 » India 172,162
Greece 150,000 (Greek Community estimate) » Republic of Ireland 147,285
Bangladesh 84,565 » Jamaica 80,319
Nigeria 68,907 » Pakistan 66,658
Kenya 66,311 » Sri Lanka 49,932
Ghana 46,513 » Cyprus 45,888
South Africa 45,506 » United States 44,622
Australia 41,488 » Germany 39,818
Turkey 39,128 » Italy 38,694
France 38,130 » Somalia 33,831
Uganda 32,082 » New Zealand 27,494
London has been a focus for immigration for centuries, whether as a place of safety or for economic reasons. Huguenots, eastern European Jews and Cypriots are examples of the former; Irish, Bangladeshis and West Indians came for new lives. The East End district around Spitalfields has been first home for several ethnic groups, which have subsequently moved elsewhere in London as they gained prosperity. The largest ethnic communities are the Jamiacan in Brixton, West-African in North Kensington, Pakistani and Bangladeshi in Newham, Tamil in Wembley and East African and Caribbean in Harlesden and Gospel Oak.
Religion
The largest religious groupings in London are
Christian (58.2%),
No Religion (15.8%),
Muslim (8.2%),
Hindu (4.1%),
Jewish (2.1%), and
Sikh (1.5%). London has traditionally been Christian, and has a large number of
churches, particularly in the City. The famous
St Paul's Cathedral in the City and
Southwark Cathedral south of the river are
Anglican administrative centres, while the head of the Church of England and worldwide
Anglican Communion, the
Archbishop of Canterbury has his main residence at
Lambeth Palace in the London Borough of
Lambeth. Important national and royal ceremonies are shared between St Paul's and
Westminster Abbey. The Abbey isn't to be confused with nearby
Westminster Cathedral, the largest
Roman Catholic cathedral in England and Wales. Religious practice is lower than any other part of the UK or
Western Europe and is around seven times lower than American averages. Despite the prevalence of Anglican churches, weekly observance is low within the Anglican
denomination, although in recent years church attendance, particularly at
evangelical Anglican churches in London, has started to increase.
London is also home to sizeable Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, and Jewish communities. Many Muslims live in
Tower Hamlets and
Newham; the most important Muslim buildings are the East London
Mosque in Whitchapel and the London Central Mosque on the edge of
Regent's Park. London's large Hindu community is found in the north-western boroughs of Harrow and Brent, the latter of which contains one of Europe's largest Hindu
temples,
Neasden Temple. Sikh communities are located in East and West London, which is also home to the largest Sikh Temples in the world, outside India. The majority of British Jews live in London, with significant Jewish communities in
Stamford Hill (the most
Orthodox Jewish area outside New York City and Israel) and
St. John's Wood,
Golders Green, and
Edgware in North London.
See also
List of churches and cathedrals of London
London Assembly
For elections to the London Assembly, London is divided into fourteen constituencies. The constituencies are formed from the area of two or three boroughs combined. The City of London forms part of the
City and East constituency.
UK Parliament
London is divided into 74 Parliamentary constituencies, which are all small
borough constituencies. They are formed from the combined area of several
wards from one or more London Boroughs. Typically a single borough is covered by two or three constituencies. Their number will be reduced to 73 before the next general election.
History
Early incarnations
The term
Greater London had been used well before 1965, particularly to refer to the area covered by the
Metropolitan Police District (such as in the 1901 census), the area of the
Metropolitan Water Board (favoured by the London County Council for statistics), the
London Passenger Transport Area and the area defined by the
Registrar General as the
Greater London Conurbation. The
Greater London Arterial Road Programme was devised between 1913 and 1916. One of the larger early forms was the
Greater London Planning Region, devised in 1927, which occupied 1,856 square miles and included 9 million people. London County Council pressed for an alteration in its boundaries soon after the end of the
First World War, noting that within the Metropolitan and City Police Districts there were 122 housing authorities. A
Royal Commission on London Government was set up to consider the issue. London County Council proposed a vast new Greater London, somewhere between the Metropolitan Police District and the entire
Home Counties. Protests were made at the possibility of including
Windsor,
Slough and
Eton in the authority. The Commission made its report in 1923, rejecting the LCC's scheme. Two minority reports favoured change beyond the amalgamation of smaller urban districts, including both smaller borough councils and a Central Authority for strategic functions. The
London Traffic Act 1924 was a result of the Commission.
Creation of administrative area
Reform of the local government arrangements in the County of London and its environs was again considered by the
Royal Commission on Local Government in Greater London. Greater London was formally created by the
London Government Act 1963, which took force on
1 April 1965, replacing the former
administrative counties of
Middlesex and
London, adding the
City of London, which wasn't under the London County Council, and absorbing parts of
Kent,
Surrey,
Essex and
Hertfordshire. Greater London originally had a two-tier system of local government, with the
Greater London Council (GLC) sharing power with the
City of London Corporation (governing the small City of London) and the 32 London borough councils. The Greater London Council was abolished in 1986 by the
Local Government Act 1985. Its functions were devolved to the Corporation and the London boroughs with some functions transferred to central government and joint boards.
Greater London Authority
Greater London was used to form the London
region of England in 1994. A
referendum held in 1998, established public will to create a regional authority. The
Greater London Authority,
London Assembly and the directly elected
Mayor of London were created in 2000 by the
Greater London Authority Act 1999. The
2000 and
2004 mayoral elections were both won by
Ken Livingstone, who had been the final leader of the GLC. In 2000 the outer boundary of the
Metropolitan Police District was re-aligned to the Greater London boundary.
Statistics
Population
The population on the current territory of Greater London rose from about 1.1 million in 1801 (back then only about 0.85 million people were in the urban area of London, while 0.25 million were living in villages and towns not yet part of London) to an estimated 8.6 million in 1939, but declined to 6.7 million in 1988, before starting to rebound in the end of the 1980s. As of 2006, the population in Greater London has only recovered the level of 1970 (which was also the level of population in the 1920s). Some researchers expect the population of Greater London to reach 8.15 million by 2016, which would still be 0.45 million short of the 1939 peak.
Figures here are for Greater London in its 2001 limits. 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 August 2007), which are more accurate than the censuses themselves, known to underestimate the population of London.
| 1891 |
April 5/6 |
5,572,012 |
| 1901 |
March 31/April 1 |
6,506,954 |
| 1911 |
April 2/3 |
7,160,525 |
| 1921 |
June 19/20 |
7,386,848 |
| 1931 |
April 26/27 |
8,110,480 |
| 1939 |
Midyear estimate |
8,615,245 |
| 1951 |
April 8/9 |
8,196,978 |
| 1961 |
April 23/24 |
7,992,616 |
| 1965 |
Greater London formally created |
| 1971 |
April 25/26 |
7,452,520 |
| 1981 |
Midyear estimate |
6,805,000 |
| 1988 |
Midyear estimate |
6,729,300 |
| 1991 |
Midyear estimate |
6,829,300 |
| 2001 |
Midyear estimate |
7,322,400 |
| 2002 |
Midyear estimate |
7,361,600 |
| 2003 |
Midyear estimate |
7,364,100 |
| 2004 |
Midyear estimate |
7,389,100 |
| 2005 |
Midyear estimate |
7,456,100 |
| 2006 |
Midyear estimate |
7,512,400 | Agriculture |
Industry |
Services |
| 1995 |
64,616 |
7 |
8,147 |
56,461 |
| 2000 |
92,330 |
6 |
10,094 |
82,229 |
| 2003 |
112,090 |
12 |
10,154 |
101,924 |
This is a chart of trend of regional gross value added of Outer London at current basic prices
published
(pp.240-253) by
Office for National Statistics with figures in millions of British Pounds Sterling.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Greater London'.
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