In article , Jonn Elledge
wrote:

"Michael Bell" wrote in message
...
Discussion of transport needs in London tends to be based on the idea
that the population of London is increasing. It is, but not by as much as
Ken
Livingstone says.

Ken estimates that the population of London will increase by 700 000
by 2016 (I don't know whether you got the impression that I did that it
was
much more), but the government estimates that the increase will be only
200
000, the rest (2/3!) is Ken's wishful thinking. This is reported here :-

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/st...665779,00.html


Interesting... Where's the bit that gives the government estimates?

I presume the journalist has got it from the Registrar - General's reports,
now called something like "Office of population and census".

It would also be interesting to know what the population of London was in the
late 50s. Somehow it sounds more impressive to say "London expanding
remorselessly" than to say "London struggling to regain the population it had
in the late 50s" Part of the cause of that fall was certainly semi-forced
overspill to the likes of Milton Keynes and Stevenage, but some of it was
probably purely voluntary.

Michael Bell

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