Inner London

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Inner London is the name for the group of London boroughs which form the central part of Greater London and are surrounded by Outer London.

It is also a term that is sometimes used less precisely, and incorrectly, to describe with negative connotations the inner city areas of Central London outside such places as the City of London, Westminster and Kensington. Inner London is in fact the second richest area in the European Union with a GDP per capita of £45,540 (€ 66,761) in 2004, just behind the city of Paris whose GDP per capita was € 67,502 in 2000 ([1]).

For the purposes of the Inner London Education Authority, it consisted of those boroughs that had been formed from the County of London. These were:

ILEA's Inner London

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ONS's Inner London

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*Camden
*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 in 1965.

Other definitions

The term is also used in a variety of other contexts with different meanings. 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 NUTS level 2.

From 1990 to 2000 London used two area codes with a separate dialling code for 'Inner London', however the area covered by this code was widely different to all of the above definitions.

The area covered by the London postal districts is sometimes referred to as 'Inner London' but its area is somewhat larger with 44 of the 119 districts in Outer London and one district extends beyond Greater London.

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.

Historical population

Please note: Figures here are for the ONS's Inner London (in its 2001 limits), whose land area is 319 km² (123 sq. miles). 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 themselves, 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