Inner London is the name for the group of London boroughs which form the interior part of Greater London and are surrounded by Outer London. The area was first officially defined in 1965^[1] and for purposes such as statistics, the definition has changed over time.^[2] The terms Inner London and Central London cannot be used interchangeably to mean the same area.

It is the richest inner city in the European Union, with a GDP per capita of ?76,052 in 2005, ahead of Frankfurt (?75,415 per capita) and Paris (?75,235 per capita). ^[3]

London Government Act 1963

ILEA's Inner London

ONS's Inner London

The inner London boroughs were defined by the London Government Act 1963,^[4] for the purposes such as the Inner London Education Authority. They correspond to the former area of the County of London. These inner London boroughs are:

• 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, an outer London borough, in 1965.

ONS definition (statistics)

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. The land area is 319 km˛ (123 sq. miles) and the population in 2005 (midyear estimate) was 2,985,700.

Historical population

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
2004, Midyear estimate    2,931,100
2005, Midyear estimate    2,985,700

Other definitions

London postal district shown (in red) against the Greater London boundary

From 1990 to 2000 London used two area codes with a separate dialling code designated for Inner London, however the area covered by this code was widely different from all of the above definitions and the city is now covered by a single 020 dialling code.

The term can also be used in a variety of other contexts with different meanings.

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.^[2]

References

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