Introduction

The Local Context When the Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) was disbanded in 1990, thirteen separate education authorities, including Hammersmith and Fulham, were created in its place. Hammersmith and Fulham shares many of the characteristics typically associated with inner-cities. Many of the traditional manufacturing activities of this part of London have left, with a consequent loss of manual jobs. Unemployment is high. Much of the housing stock was built in the nineteenth century and still needs extensive repair. Large, older, council estates suffer from poor environments which exacerbate the social and economic problems of those who live there. Owner occupation has greatly expanded in the last twenty years and has been accompanied by considerable socioeconomic change. However, the issue of the provision of ‘affordable’ housing has become very important within areas of multiple deprivation in the borough.