OPINION - Talking Point: Is London still a city of opportunity?

A leading social mobility expert has cautioned that London is under threat of becoming a city of the elite due to climbing rents, socially segregated schools, and the rise of unpaid internships.

Lee Elliot Major, Professor at the University of Exeter, warned that although London’s plentiful supply of well performing schools and aspirational communities are prerequisites to encourage social mobility, it would be possible for London to descend into an exclusive city, with the best jobs going to the most fortunate.

Speaking at the City of London Corporation’s school conference on Monday, he said: “London’s position as a city of opportunity hangs in the balance. For many years the capital has been lauded for the education results of its poorest pupils…Yet now a range of systemic barriers preventing people improving their lives threaten to turn the capital into an exclusive enclave of elites, with the best jobs and prospects retained by those from more privileged backgrounds…

“Unless we keep the momentum going in terms of providing opportunities throughout people’s lives it could become a closed shop”.

Professor Elliot Major called for a London-wide commission to be established in order to ensure that everyone regardless of background can access work. The commission would specify objectives including getting more working-class people into managerial positions, a greater availability of apprenticeships, and fairer rents for younger workers.

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