Poverty 'spreads from inner city'

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'Wealth gap' still wide in London

More people now live in poverty in outer London than inner London, research has indicated.

A City Parochial Foundation report found that 54% of Londoners with low incomes live in outer London, compared to half 10 years ago.

National statistics indicated that more children were affected by poverty in outer than inner London.

Report author Peter Kenway said: "Tackling London's long term problems cannot wait until after the recession."

'Least equal'

The City Parochial Foundation "poverty profile" analysed current statistics from sources including the Department for Work and Pensions, Department of Health and London Child Poverty Commission.

It found that 380,000 children lived in poverty in outer London, compared to 270,000 in inner London.

Some 500,000 adults live in poverty in both outer and inner London.

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The charitable trust also found that London was the least equal region in England, with more people in London with an income in either the top or bottom 10% nationally than anywhere else in the country.

A higher proportion of people live below the poverty line in London than in any other English region, it found.

Mr Kenway said: "We need urgent action on housing, on employment and on low pay.

"We need the government, London's mayor, our local councils and the wider public and voluntary sectors to work together to give London the future it deserves."

A spokeswoman for London Mayor Boris Johnson said he was committed to "tackling the link between low incomes and poorer health outcomes for some Londoners".

She added: "Work is often the best route out of poverty and the mayor recently announced £23m of funding that will help up to 10,000 Londoners into employment or training."