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35
That of Greater London, viz. 7,703,400 shows a decrease of 56,100
(0.7%) a loss which appears to be more than compensated by a
gain of 65,100 (0.4%) over the South East Area as a whole to a
total of 17,294,600, a figure which represents 35.5% of the England
and Wales population.
According to the Registrar-General's mid-year, 1969 estimate,
the population of the London Borough of Greenwich has fallen still
further. The figure returned is 228,030 thus showing a reduction
of 1,670 (0.7%) from that of the previous year and no less than
3,740 (1.6%) since 1965.
Greater London Council is anxious about its own loss of almost
¼ million residents since 1965 and is somewhat apprehensive that
a continuing decline of this nature would prejudice the area's
viability and thereby lose its pride of place as the world's business
and commercial centre.
Contraction of London's wharfage and docking facilities prior to
their final "shut-down" has undoubtedly been a contributory factor
in some of the capital's more recent population movements but the
closure of a number of large local firms as the result of the
rationalisation of industry is the most probable cause for the
declining population of Greenwich.
Fortunately for this Borough, with the G.L.C.'s development
of the Plumstead Marshes, more than restitution will be made when
the "Thamesmead" scheme for 60,000 people is completed in the
early 1980's. Meanwhile, additions to the Borough's population
will now flow from the advancement of the G.L.C.'s Kidbrooke
Scheme due to be completed by 1977.
Natural Increase—The natural increase for the year, i.e. excess
of births over deaths, was 712 compared with the figure of 844
for the previous year.
Emigration/Immigration—Migration movements into and out of
England and Wales during the year ended 30th June, 1969, as
derived from the International Passenger Survey returns, amounted
to a net loss of 69,000 (excluding those regarding the Irish
Republic).
Assessing all sources of migration and making necessary adjustments to the I.P.S. totals concerning intended and actual migration,
there was a total net loss of 14,000 in the population of England
and Wales. This is only the second year since 1954/5 that a net
loss by migration has been recorded. Taking into account a
recorded natural increase of 712, there was a presumptive emigration from the Borough of 2.382 persons during the year.