Key areas of concern
13 April 2012
Growth
- London and the South-East is the fastest growing region in the country in terms of wealth. Between 1995 and 2001 the average rise in GDP was 4.1 per cent compared with three per cent for the UK and 2.5 per cent for the European Union
Housing
Traffic
? Across the region, according to a MORI survey, eight in 10 residents say traffic levels are a problem. The question is how will roads cope with an increasing population
Water
- The South-East is classed as " semiarid" because it uses more water than it needs. Water abstraction rates are 10 per cent higher than natural supplies, leading to regular summer shortages in places like Dover, the Medway towns and Maidstone
Exodus
- Record numbers of the middle classes are leaving inner London for the suburbs in search of a better quality of life, a new analysis of the most recent census revealed. More than 150,000 people a year are leaving. In some boroughs, such as Wandsworth and Westminster, more than one in 10 families moved out. A recent government report, The State Of The Countryside 2004, revealed a similar exodus of young families to live in the countryside
