Is London fair? Those living in the capital are most worried about wages and housing
Londoners are vehemently in favour of capping chief executives' salaries, it turns out, after a new poll found 79 per cent of those living in the capital think it's unfair for a chief executive running an organisation that employs those on the minimum wage to be paid more than £500,000 a year.
According to the report, by the London Fairness Commission, only about half of those living in the capital think it's a "fair" place. Some 57 per cent believe it's not fair people are paid "very high salaries when others are struggling to get by" – although interestingly, 33 per cent of men and 24 per cent of women agree top earners contribute "great value" to London's economy. So there is that…
And almost 80 per cent of Londoners there should be a higher minimum wage for Londoners, with 83 per cent of those suggesting £9.15 or higher (lest we forget, George Osborne has just begun the process of raising the national minimum wage to £9 an hour).
The study also gives an indication of how squeezed those living in the capital feel: just a quarter said their wages have kept up with increases in the cost of living over the past two years, while 69 per cent said there isn't enough affordable housing in the capital.
Housing was another concern, with 69 per cent saying there's a lack of affordable housing. What's interesting is that that figure increases the longer a person has lived in London – so while 56 per cent of those who have been in the capital less than five years think there's a shortage of housing, 67 per cent of those who've been here for between six and 20 years and 75 per cent of those who have been here for 21 years plus agreed.
On the flipside, the older someone is, the more they appreciate London's culture, with 58 per cent of those aged over 55 agreeing the capital is a "great centre for music, theatre, art and museums", compared with just 36 per cent of those aged between 18 and 35.
And the older you are, the more congestion and pollution is a worry, with 52 per cent of over-55s saying they're the worst things about London, compared with 27 per cent of 18 to 34-year-olds.
The yoof, on the other hand, is more enthusiastic about London's multicultural aspects, with 45 per cent of Londoners under 35 highlighting it as a positive, compared with 35 per cent of those over 55.