Londoners are being disproportionately affected by the ongoing lockdown according to new research by Peabody housing association and the Social Market Foundation think tank.

Data compiled for the latest Peabody Index shows that the capital is seeing higher unemployment and furlough than the rest of the UK, fewer job vacancies, lower hours and pay for many people who are in work, and the biggest decline in life satisfaction of any region.

Analysis of ONS and government figures reveals that:

• London has the highest unemployment rate in the UK, with double the number of unemployed people than any other region.
• The capital has the highest furlough rate, with more people furloughed in the capital than Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland combined.
• Job vacancies in London are still 26% below mid-March levels with the rest of the country now seeing more vacancies than mid-March 2020.
• Londoners’ emotional health, life satisfaction and anxiety are also significantly worse than in other areas in the UK. Nowhere in England has experienced a larger decline in life satisfaction than London (9.3%). Lower income Londoners were particularly badly affected during lockdown (17.4% decline in life satisfaction).
• Unemployment running at 10% in five London boroughs

Brendan Sarsfield, Peabody Chief Executive said:  “The survey of Peabody residents shows that people on low incomes across the capital are really struggling as the lockdown continues. London already had the highest rates of poverty in the UK and the new jobs crisis caused by Covid is making this worse. We’re doing what we can through our resident wellbeing programme, but London needs more support from central government to make sure the poor are not left behind as a result of the public health disaster over the last year. We hope that next week’s budget will provide financial backing to support struggling Londoners through the ongoing emergency, and lay the foundations for a strong, comprehensive recovery for everybody. ”