Key facts about Carshalton and Wallington (that the Government would prefer you not to know)

Health

• Between 1997-2005 spending on agency nurses at the Epsom and St Helier Hospitals cost £25,040,460.

• 9,419 NHS beds have been lost nationwide since 1997.

• 170,387 NHS beds were lost between 1979-1997.

• Between 1999-2003 only 36% of the adult population in the South West London Health Authority were registered with an NHS dentist (during the same period the national average was above 44%).

• In 2003 the number of GPs per 100,000 population in the Sutton PCT was 50 (national average of 52). The average list size was 1854 (national average of 1845) (ii).

Poverty

• Between 2002-2003, the percentage of homeless children in the South East increased 16.8%.

Urbanization

• Between 1981-2001 the urbanized area of the South East grew by 15%. The South East now has the second highest proportion of urbanized area nationally at 10.7%.

• In 2004 there were 1430 Hectares of derelict land in the region (iii).

Post Offices

• 318 post offices were shut down in the South East between 1987 and 2000, of these 100 were closed after 1997.

• In 2002 there were 21 POs in Carshalton and Wallington. Since then there have been at least six Post Office closures: Banstead Road, Stanley Park Road, Westmead Road, Stafford Road, Croydon Road and The Broadway Beddington.

Population

• 2000-2001, 74.9% of ethnic minority males were employed compared to 85% of white males in Greater London. During the same period, 56.5% of ethnic minority females were employed compared to 72.5% of white females.

• Across all working age groups, the economic activity rates of ethnic minorities in London were 3.1% below the Great Britain rate in 2000-200.

(i) Parliamentary written answer to Paul Burstow MP, 14 January 2004, column 803W:

(ii) Department of Health General & Personal Medical Services.

(iii) Office for National Statistics, Labour Force Survey (LADB incorporating Local LFS for England) 2000/01