It makes no allowances for the increased housing costs most Londoners face. The average monthly rental was £1,599 as compared to a £940 UK average. Over a year, this amounts to £7,908 extra housing costs: which pretty much wipes out the “extra money” that Londoners have to spend post-tax as compared to the UK average. An analysis of surplus income once housing and commuting costs are taken into account would be far more insightful. Maggie KemmnerLondon• Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com• Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters• Do you have a photo you’d like to share with Guardian readers?

Source: The Guardian May 26, 2019 16:41 UTC