§ 79. Mr. Sparksasked the Minister of Housing and Local Government to what extent population has been decentralised from the county of London and the inner urban areas of Greater London, respectively, since 1945: and what effect this has had upon overcrowding and congestion in those areas.
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§ Mr. MarplesUp to the end of 1952 about 130,000 people had moved to the out-county estates of the London County Council, and the new towns—of whom the greater number came from the county of London. The effect has been to reduce the population of the built-up areas of Greater London from the level reached in 1949. I take 1949 instead of 1945 because in the first four post-war years the population increased substantially as a result of demobilisation, return of evacuees and excess of births over deaths.