Guest blog from Hina Bokhari OBE AM
Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on the London Assembly
For more than twenty years I taught in London primary schools, many in some of the city’s most deprived areas. Every day I saw children whose potential was extraordinary, but whose opportunities were shaped by factors completely beyond their control – postcode, poverty, family circumstances.
Teaching shaped how I see the world. It’s also the reason I entered politics. I wanted to tackle the barriers my students faced that couldn’t be solved in the classroom alone.
So watching London gradually empty of children feels deeply personal.
The new report
Our new London Assembly report shows just how significant the change has been. Between 2013 and 2023, London’s population of children aged 0–9 fell by around 99,000, even as the city’s overall population grew by more than half a million. The decline has been particularly sharp in Inner London.
We’re already seeing the consequences. Falling pupil numbers are putting huge pressure on schools. Since 2018, around 90 London schools have closed or merged, with more expected in the coming years. But this isn’t just an education issue. When families leave, the wider ecosystem of neighbourhood life begins to unravel – youth services shrink, local businesses struggle, and community spaces disappear.
The reasons are not hard to identify. London has the highest childcare costs in England and some of the lowest childcare provision for disadvantaged two-year-olds. Housing is another major barrier. Families need larger homes, yet the city continues to deliver mostly smaller flats. Between 2016 and 2025, just 3% of affordable homes built under the Mayor’s programme had four bedrooms or more.
And then there is the question of space. Too many developments are built without properly considering children – particularly when it comes to play. That is why our report calls for practical action, including mapping every play space in London and developing a London Play Sufficiency Action Plan so we can properly assess whether children actually have places to play in their neighbourhoods.
We also recommend stronger requirements for family-sized homes in the next London Plan and the creation of a London Children’s Ambassador to bring together policies affecting families – from housing and childcare to planning and schools.
But while action from City Hall is vital, we should also recognise that London already has powerful community networks that support families. Across the city, faith communities are quietly providing the social infrastructure that helps family life thrive. Churches, mosques, temples, gurdwaras and synagogues host everything from antenatal groups and playgroups to supplementary schools, youth clubs and sports programmes. Many also run mentoring and youth initiatives that help keep young people safe and engaged.
These spaces are often multigenerational, bringing together children, parents and grandparents. In a fast-moving city where families can easily feel isolated, they create belonging, stability and community.
But we cannot expect these communities to carry the burden alone. Public sector institutions need to rethink what genuine partnership with them looks like – recognising the expertise and trust community organisations already have and being willing to work alongside them, not simply ask them to deliver programmes designed elsewhere.
At the same time, faith communities themselves must feel confident engaging with the Mayor, with City Hall, with borough leadership – the very spaces where decisions are made.
Warning and opportunity
Our report is both a warning and an opportunity. A warning that London risks becoming a city where fewer families can afford to stay. But also an opportunity to change course – to build a city where children have space to grow, families can put down roots, and communities help shape the future.
Because a London that works for children is a London that works better for everyone.
Hina Bokhari OBE AM
Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group on the London Assembly
London Boroughs Faiths Network 