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Raising a family in London can be quite tricky. Not only is it an expensive place to live with some areas seeing quite a bit of crime, but houses tend to be smaller than elsewhere. These are all things young families need to take into account when looking for the best place to live – and now a new study has analysed that data to figure out the capital’s boroughs to figure out the best place for working parents and their young ’uns to live.
Property company Making Moves analysed London’s 32 boroughs, taking into account the average central London commute time, number of schools, parks and job vacancies, as well as crime rates. The company then declared that Bromley in south London is the capital’s best neighbourhood for working families.
According to Making Moves, Bromley had an average commute time of 56 minutes, and almost 6,500 job openings. It also boasts 156 parks and 14 libraries, and has a low crime rate of 69.4. Compared to Westminster’s crime rate of 342.68, Bromley is doing amazing.
Barnet came a close second and Croydon wasn’t far behind. In Barnet there were 8,434 job openings, while Croydon boasted a whopping 164 schools.
At the other end of the scale, Barking and Dagenham was named the worst London borough for working families. The east London borough had a 104.34 crime rate, an 89-minute average commute and only 28 parks and playgrounds.
Sally Evans, director of operations at Making Moves, said: ‘Being situated in London is hugely beneficial for work as companies encourage office returns. Living in boroughs like Bromley while working in the city provides an excellent work-life balance.
‘I’m pleased to see Bromley recognised as the best area for families and as the data rightly shows, it’s not just about attractions. It's about a short travel time to the office, access to green space, excellent air quality, education, and low crime rates.’
So there you have it, Bromley is the place to be if you're a working parent in the Big Smoke. But Making Moves’ study isn’t the only one to have examined London’s boroughs in the past few months: another ranking listed the best places in general to raise a family while another looked at the safest places in the capital to raise kids.
The top 10 London boroughs for working families
- Bromley
- Barnet
- Croydon
- Ealing
- Richmond Upon Thames
- Hillingdon
- Redbridge
- Hounslow
- Greenwich
- Merton
Local news with Time Out
In other London borough news, did you see that Croydon has been declared the beauty capital of the UK? And this new commuter-style map has revealed London’s best walking and cycling routes.
Listen to Time Out’s brilliant podcast ‘Love Thy Neighbourhood’: the newest episode with Milton Jones in Richmond is out now.
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