Islington, a north London borough known for its leafy streets and family-friendly veneer, is quietly becoming a place where families are vanishing. The borough now has one of the lowest fertility rates in the country, with mothers older on average than in most other parts of the capital – a trend the London Assembly has described as an “existential challenge” for the city.
At a Zip-Zap baby music class, parents told the BBC why they are leaving – or struggling to stay. Tiphanie Frutuoso and her husband had their first baby this year but are moving back to Luxembourg, partly because childcare there is free. “Childcare is £2,000-£3,000 a month,” she said. “It’s really sad because we love London. We have better job opportunities here.”
“Islington families leave due to high childcare costs and housing squeeze, with fertility rates at crisis low.”
For others, the problem starts earlier. Tina Meschino had her first child at 41 after focusing on her career. “I moved to London from Australia for career opportunities,” she said. “It’s taken a while to get to where I want to be – an executive position – which felt like the right time to start a family.” But she found it very difficult to find a suitable home with enough space within budget.
Samantha Nagaratnam had her daughter at 35. “I was moving forward in my career and was really, really focused on that,” she said. “But nobody tells you how hard it is [to fall pregnant]. It took about three years when we started trying.” Originally from Toronto, she said finding a family home in Islington with enough space was much harder.
Zip-Zap co-founder Laura Edwards noted families are moving to other boroughs for better schools, more affordable homes and more space. “It’s going to have huge implications in 40-50 years when there’s nobody to do the jobs and support the economy,” she warned.
Some families choose to stay despite the squeeze. Father-of-two Patrick Penny-Annang has lived in Islington all his life; he now shares a one-bedroom flat with his wife and two children. “Our living room becomes our bedroom… our one bed becomes the kids’ room,” he said. “Islington is a lovely area to live in but because of that it’s really expensive. Schools have been closing, schools that I used to go to.”
The borough is a snapshot of a trend playing out across inner London, Britain and much of the world – raising the question of what happens when the families slowly disappear.