|
|
S.A.G.E. (Supporting
Active aGeing in Europe) A Description of Islington, partner of SAGE project. You can find more informations about Islington Council’s activities at: http://www.islington.gov.uk/Community/LifeEvents/55Plus/ Introduction The London district of Islington is an area of central London which contains
a diverse population, a dynamic local economy and a rich cultural life.
It is home to many different nationalities and it is the largest entertainment
centre outside of the centre of London. It is also home to the Arsenal
Football Club.
Islington is located close to the centre of London and covers an area of fifteen square kilometres. The southern end of the district includes parts of the City of London, the capital’s financial district. Its current population is around 180,000 which means it is a relatively crowded district with 111 persons per hectares, 40% more than the inner London average.
The Islington economy is dominated by Small and Medium Sized Enterprises predominantly in the service sector. The old manufacturing and construction industries are being replaced by new specialised services which require different skills, in the area of information technology and multimedia for example. Between 1991 and 1995 the number of manufacturing jobs dropped by 23%, whilst jobs in banking, finance and insurance increased by a similar amount. Unemployment has been falling in the borough since 1993, in line with the economy of the country as a whole, and currently stands at 6% which is still above the national average. Tourism is one of the fastest-increasing areas of the economy, with the recently established heritage trail in Clerkenwell only the latest initiative (on top of 10 theatres, 350 pubs, 700 restaurants and cafes, and 4,000 buildings of historical interest). Islington’s Social Profile
The current population of Islington is approximately 180,000. The latest government projections show an expected increase in population to about 204,000 in 2011, though not everyone agrees that this is either possible or indeed desirable. A recent estimate suggested that, in order to meet this demand, 1000 extra homes would be needed each year in the borough up to 2006. One of the reasons for this is that, in line with the country as a whole, the average size of households is falling (with 40% one person households in Islington). Another change is a steady increase in the number of young adults moving into Islington and other inner London boroughs - many from overseas. There are also signs that these people are starting families and staying in the capital, rather than moving to the suburbs. There are now over 60,000 people aged 16-34 living in Islington, more than twice as many as the number of residents of retirement age.
There is a huge diversity within Islington between the rich and poor. For example, 8 of the borough’s wards are within the 100 most deprived in London. The UK government's index of deprivation rates Islington as the eleventh most deprived district in England. In contrast over a third of Islington’s new households earn over £50,000 (62,000 Euro) per year. In terms of jobs, 8% of the borough’s economically-active adults have professional occupations, 13% managerial/technical, 22% skilled non-manual, 16% skilled manual, 15% partly skilled, and 7.5% unskilled. Islington has proportionately more adults in both the professional and unskilled categories than London as a whole. 16% of its adults have a degree, against a London-wide average of 12%. Conversely, only 25% of the children in Islington schools gained 5 or more secondary school exams at grades A*-C this year, the lowest in London. The Council has set a target of achieving a 40% success rate by 2002. 13.4% of the borough’s population suffer from a limiting long-term
illness or disability, in comparison with a London-wide average of 11.3%. Islington has a large ethnic minority and migrant population representing many different nationalities and cultural traditions. These include large Afro-Caribbean, Asian, African, Turkish, Greek, Irish, Chinese and Kurdish communities. Islington Council has had an active Equal Opportunities programme for over a decade and this helps ensure that all citizens are treated equally. The degree of diversity was indicated when a survey of local schools showed that over 100 languages were spoken by children in Islington. The ethnic and social diversity of the district has helped create an exciting, cosmopolitan and culturally rich area. Many ethnic minorities however still have unemployment rates higher than average, and Islington Council has many programmes attempting to deal with this problem.
Islington has both a very large municipal housing sector as well as many private homes. Alongside the large public housing sector Islington has a large number of very expensive privately owned houses, many clustered in a few very fashionable and very small neighbourhoods About 50% of Islington households are municipal tenancies, a third more than the inner London average. Only about a quarter are owner occupiers, a third fewer than the inner London average. However, the number of municipal tenancies is falling, as the right to buy programme continues, and as the Council enters into more partnerships with housing associations and private developers to invest in the stock.
The Local Authority consists of 48 Councillors elected every four years. The district is divided into 16 smaller areas, called Wards, which each elect three Councillors using the first-past-the-post election system. The party with the majority of Councillors controls the Council. The Council is led by the Leader and Executive Cabinet composed of eight Councillors who receive a salary from the Council and work fulltime as Councillors. The remaining Councillors receive expense payments but are not employed by the Council. The separate position of Mayor is ceremonial and non-political. The Leader is elected each year by the majority party and the Mayor is elected annually by the full Council. The Labour Party controlled the Council for many years with the main opposition coming from the Liberal Democrats (the centre party), however in the May 1998 election an equal number of Councillors were elected from the Labour Party and The Liberal Democrat Party. Labour continued to govern on the basis of the Mayors casting vote. In December 1999 an election caused by the death of a Labour councillor was won by the Liberal Democrats and the Labour party lost power. This was the first change in party control in Islington for over 20 years. In the May 2002 election the Labour Party lost many seats to the Liberal Democrats and the current balance is 38 Liberal Democrat Councillors to 10 from the Labour Party.
Islington Council is the largest organisation and employer in the district, with around 8,500 employees and an annual budget in excess of 300 million Euro. Only 15% of the of the Council’s budget is funded by local taxes, the bulk is funded by central government grants. Islington Council is responsible for a very wide range of services to local citizens, including: Ownership of 50% of the houses in the district Islington Council has been involved in strategic Urban Regeneration work for many years, the key characteristics of this work are: • Securing of external funding and resources for regeneration • Working in partnership, with the a wide range of public and private bodies, to implement regeneration programmes • Understanding that urban regeneration goes beyond economic development to include social and cultural activities which strengthen urban cohesion and the local community Islington Council’s European work programme is situated inside its overall regeneration strategy.
Islington has a very strong, extensive and active third sector of non-profit organisations. There are over 1000 such organisations in the district. Most concerned with single issues, such as representing the interests of disabled people, or acting as the voice of a particular ethnic minority or representing groups of tenants. Islington Council works with, and makes a major contribution to the finances, of this sector. Because of its location close to the centre of London, Islington is the home to the headquarters of many national organisations, such as Friends of the Earth, Amnesty International, and the Crafts Council. For more information on the third sector in Islington visit www.islingtonlink.org.uk
There are two universities in Islington, the City University (web.city.ac.uk
)and the University of North London (www.unl.ac.uk). There is also a very
large college offering a variety of academic and vocational training courses
(www.candi.ac.uk). European work programme Islington Council has been involved in may European Union projects in recent years and the local universities and third sector have also been involved in many European projects. This has included projects under the following programmes: European Social Fund (Several hundred projects over 10 years)
|
|
|
 |
