Islington, a north London borough of leafy streets and pushchairs, has one of the lowest fertility rates in the country. Mothers here are older on average than in most other parts of the capital, and the London Assembly has described the trend as an "existential challenge" for the city. The borough is a snapshot of a pattern playing out across inner London, Britain and much of the world.
At a Zip-Zap baby music class, parents explained 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 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's fertility rate is one of the lowest in the UK as families leave due to high costs and lack of space.”
Tina Meschino had her first child at 41 after focusing on her career. "I've always been career-driven. 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 finding a suitable home within budget proved very difficult.
Samantha Nagaratnam had her daughter at 35 after a three-year struggle to conceive. "Nobody tells you how hard it is," she said. Originally from Toronto, she found it much harder to find a family home in Islington with enough space.
Laura Edwards, co-founder of Zip-Zap, said 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."
Some families have decided to stay, but it is proving difficult. Father-of-two Patrick Penny-Annang has lived in Islington all his life and now shares a one-bedroom flat with his family. "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 trend raises an unresolved question: if families continue to leave, who will sustain the borough's economy and community in the decades ahead?