Today's paper made for an interesting read. Aside from the regular current affairs stories there was plenty of trivia to paint an interesting picture of life in the UK.
They're everywhere, except Scotland
In June 2005, the UK's population passed 60 million for the first time. More than 50 million of these people live in England, 5 million live in Scotland, 3 million in Wales and the remainder in Northern Ireland. This means England makes up about 65% of the UK's land mass, but supports almost 84% of its population.
More than a quarter of a million people moved out of London last year. However, the city's net population increased by 116,000 thanks to a steady influx of migrants. London's population is now more than 7.5 million. There are days when I wonder if they're all trying to get into the same tube carriage as me.
Talking of commuting. I read today that people in my neighbourhood travel an average of 9km to work every day. The national average is 15km. A quick calculation shows my daily commute to be about 12km door to door.
The English love their football
Today's paper carried a tragic story about a teenage soldier who chose suicide rather than face an assignment in Iraq. A throwaway line, buried deep in the story, left me stunned. The boy's family asked that friends wear Chelsea football shirts to the funeral. Apparently, the entire family changed it's name by deed poll several years ago in honour of the Chelsea football club. Anyone interested in becoming a Swan in honour of Sydney's AFL champions?
A cardboard box looks tempting
The average house price in London increased by £40,000 last year (A$96,000). Today's paper revealed that properties in the fancier parts of Central London now change hands at £2,800-£3000 a sq ft. Our flat is 1247 sq ft (116 sq metres). If it were an inner city property it would be worth a staggering £3.7 million!
This made me curious, so I did a little research on property in our neighbourhood. The average three-bedroom flat in our area is selling for £627,466 (A$1.5 million). Over the last five years, house prices grew 71.1%. However, this is only about 2/3 the rate of growth reported nationally over the same period.
It's small consolation to learn that the average price in the area is £371,685 (A$890,000). This is mainly because most properties in the area are only one or two-bedroom households. Not surprisingly, today's paper says that London rents are expected to increase 7% this year and a further 3% next year.
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Meet the locals, they're not from here
While checking facts for this post, I discovered that 22% of people in our neighbourhood are migrants. The national average is 12%. Garry and I are in good company. This week's Economist reports that nearly 600,000 people migrated to the UK from the EU's newest Eastern European member states between May 2004 and June 2006. This population movement is the largest single wave of immigration in British history. This rings true for me. I've certainly noticed a wide variety of languages being spoken on the streets of London every day. This really is a cosmopolitan city.
Finally, one last piece of triva. Work permits, the visa system I entered the country on, were introduced in 1962. Permits were the Government's response to growing fears about large-scale immigration. It seems that 1962 was the last time Britain saw immigration on the scale it's experiencing now. We live in interesting times.
They're everywhere, except Scotland
In June 2005, the UK's population passed 60 million for the first time. More than 50 million of these people live in England, 5 million live in Scotland, 3 million in Wales and the remainder in Northern Ireland. This means England makes up about 65% of the UK's land mass, but supports almost 84% of its population.
More than a quarter of a million people moved out of London last year. However, the city's net population increased by 116,000 thanks to a steady influx of migrants. London's population is now more than 7.5 million. There are days when I wonder if they're all trying to get into the same tube carriage as me.
Talking of commuting. I read today that people in my neighbourhood travel an average of 9km to work every day. The national average is 15km. A quick calculation shows my daily commute to be about 12km door to door.
The English love their football
Today's paper carried a tragic story about a teenage soldier who chose suicide rather than face an assignment in Iraq. A throwaway line, buried deep in the story, left me stunned. The boy's family asked that friends wear Chelsea football shirts to the funeral. Apparently, the entire family changed it's name by deed poll several years ago in honour of the Chelsea football club. Anyone interested in becoming a Swan in honour of Sydney's AFL champions?
A cardboard box looks tempting
The average house price in London increased by £40,000 last year (A$96,000). Today's paper revealed that properties in the fancier parts of Central London now change hands at £2,800-£3000 a sq ft. Our flat is 1247 sq ft (116 sq metres). If it were an inner city property it would be worth a staggering £3.7 million!
This made me curious, so I did a little research on property in our neighbourhood. The average three-bedroom flat in our area is selling for £627,466 (A$1.5 million). Over the last five years, house prices grew 71.1%. However, this is only about 2/3 the rate of growth reported nationally over the same period.
It's small consolation to learn that the average price in the area is £371,685 (A$890,000). This is mainly because most properties in the area are only one or two-bedroom households. Not surprisingly, today's paper says that London rents are expected to increase 7% this year and a further 3% next year.
.png)
Meet the locals, they're not from here
While checking facts for this post, I discovered that 22% of people in our neighbourhood are migrants. The national average is 12%. Garry and I are in good company. This week's Economist reports that nearly 600,000 people migrated to the UK from the EU's newest Eastern European member states between May 2004 and June 2006. This population movement is the largest single wave of immigration in British history. This rings true for me. I've certainly noticed a wide variety of languages being spoken on the streets of London every day. This really is a cosmopolitan city.
Finally, one last piece of triva. Work permits, the visa system I entered the country on, were introduced in 1962. Permits were the Government's response to growing fears about large-scale immigration. It seems that 1962 was the last time Britain saw immigration on the scale it's experiencing now. We live in interesting times.
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