Responding to the Halifax report on population trends - which identifies four London boroughs as experiencing the largest population increases over the last decade - London Councils Chairman Councillor Merrick Cockell said:

"The report released today only tells half the story. The reality is that London's population is growing at an even faster rate than these figures suggest, because official data has failed to properly account for the complexities of migration and population churn.

"Because population data is central to the way councils are funded, London Councils has repeatedly lobbied government to address the system's inadequacies. We are delighted that they have now heeded our calls and plan to work with local councils to improve migration and population statistics."

Notes to editors

The Halifax Financial Services report, released today, was compiled using population data from the Office of National Statistics. For the full report, please visit the Halifax Financial Services website Opens in a new window

Earlier this month, the government conceded that the way it collects population data is flawed. For more information, please see London Councils' response