Owning your own home

I think that's actually Haringey but it's conveniently arranged there from the west of the borough with Highgate, etc through to the East with Tottenham and pretty much a sliding scale in between (with a bit of a leap as you cross the railway tracks).

THFC are coughing up for some regenerative work on the streets round the new stadium.

Just to make themselves look better, this isn't an altruistic thing...

You’re right, but it’s hidden - if you can afford to live on a smart Islington street you aren’t sharing it with anyone that’s very different from yourself.

So got the survey through on the house I'm buying.
The issues are scaled 1-3. 1 being immediate action required. 2, will need doing to stop problems in the future.
There are a bunch of 2s which I could do myself but will cost me money.
Mainly brick work, replacing spalled bricks and re-pointing.
Shall I try to knock money off the sale price?

Did you offer at asking price? If so, I would try to, unless it moves you into a higher LTV bracket.

It was the lowest end of the guide price, so essentially yes.
I wouldn't imagine knocking much off so wouldn't have thought it would change the LTV. I will check though.

Respectfully disagree that it's hidden. But agree that generally nice streets tend to all be nice, with almost no council houses left.

Also the wealth generated by the smart bits of Islington has turned it from being pretty rough and crime ridden into a really lovely area with excellent investment into community public spaces.

Is Crouch End really that 'nice' (if nice is being able to avoid seeing deprivation)? Big areas of Catford are, not £1M nice, but genuinely nice feel, neighbourly, lots of community stuff, and also lots of curtain-twitching and tutting about hilariously minor things. Strangely I find more 'desirable' areas often more uncomfortable because the disparity is more in your face.
I don't know Crouch End and assumed it was a bit like Harringey, which is fine and doesn't feel wildly different to suburban catford except it takes longer to get to a shop. However looking at the map, if it's actually more like Highgate, then fair. That place is a magical island. Not long after I moved to London, living in Plaistow, someone recommended me a dentist in Highgate village, and I found going there a very weird experience.
Thinking about it, I guess catford just feels fairly 'normal' to me.

These lovely community spaces, how effective at closingsing the inequality gap are they?

How does wealth generated by housing stock pay for things? How does wealth generation go into the public budget?

yet people pay serious money to live there.

Right but Islington has two well connected tubes, a few over grounds and a million buses taking you to exactly all the places you are likely to go. Depending which side you're on you can walk to most of the City in 20-35mins.

I think Nickcj point was that Crouch End has lots of inconveniences, but being near the poor and homeless (like say Finsbury Park) is not one of them. I haven't spent enough time there, but it's the same feeling you get from people choosing East Dulwich over Brixton.

Business rates and council tax.

choose Catford but opt out of spending any time there other than watching their kids playing in the huge gardens that their budget wouldn't have got them in crouch end.

They're sadly missing out on some super middle-class dominated community events. Play street closures and stuff. Last weekend there was a camp out in the community playing field, like a mini festival for precocious darlings. It's true they might meet someone from a lower income bracket, but the risk is not that high.

1. Probably little. But they make it a nicer place to live.
   
2. I think you've misunderstood my point. Council tax, etc. goes into funding council services which is probably why Islington say compared to Hackney has better council services (or it used to when I lived in Hackney).
   
3. Not sure how it's relevant, but through taxation.
   

if it's actually more like Highgate, then fair.

More of a budget version of Highgate. People with enough money to buy a +£1m house, but not enough to buy a Range Rover Vogue as well.

I grew up in Pimlico, massive disparity there... Tho' when I was growing up a lot of the stucco Cubitt terraces were really tatty and resembled slums, total bedsitter land... As time went on it got much smarter but all the council estates are still there and there are loads of them and they're bloody huge! Very us and them there...

I also lived on a council estate in Chelsea for 13 years, million pound houses on one side of the street (in 1993) and us povos on the other... That community was really close knit, I rubbed shoulders with old money every day down the pub, it wasn't a problem either way... Chelsea is a weird place tho'...

The council budget
https://www.islington.gov.uk/about-the-council/funding-and-spending/budget

It looks like it's mainly from business rates and council tax.
https://www.islington.gov.uk/about-the-council/funding-and-spending/how-we-are-funded

When did you live in hackney? The cuts have been going on so long that you're probably noticing the effect of those.

If you really want to compare areas
https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/

I don't know Crouch End and assumed it was a bit like Harringey

😂

It is more like Highgate. It is a place middle class white people cluster to breed because there aren't many brown people and they don't have to step over homeless people to buy their bath bun from Dunns.

I say this as someone who used to live in Muswell Hill which is basically the same but up the hill, despite what people in Crouch End/Muswell Hill will tell you. Although Muswell Hill has a genuine working class white area over towards the North Circular.

They're both good for celeb spots, I used to see Maureen Lipman on the bus and Super Hans in Crouch End on a regular basis.

Muswell Hill is probably the only place I've ever been where most of the school children were taller than me. A budget version of Highgate is fair.

I don't know Crouch End and assumed it was a bit like Harringey

Crouch End is different to Harringay. Even 30 years ago, when I lived around there, there were no edgy places in Crouch End. Crouch End has transitioned from Bohemians to Bankers without any notable teething troubles.

Edit - what @Fox said.

Over 5yrs ago.

But my original point stands. If an area becomes a more wealthy and desirable place to live, then it's tax takings increase and the council can spend more on the area.

Does it?

Can it?

Councils only get to keep 50% of their business rates.

used to live in crouch end back when you could still smoke in the Harringay Arms and the only food they had was monster munch and ham&cheese sandwiches wrapped in clingwrap.

there's a fucking Gails down the road now.