The borough where families are slowly disappearing

The borough where families are slowly disappearingImage caption, Tiphanie Frutuoso and her husband had their first baby this year and are moving out of London back to Luxembourg, partly because childcare is freeByMeghan Owen, London work and money correspondent, Reporting fromIslington and Jonathan Fagg, England Data UnitPublishedJust nowIslington seems, on the surface, a family-friendly area. Parents push buggies through quiet leafy side streets of this popular neighbourhood that is also within easy reach of central London.But this north London borough has one of the lowest fertility rates in the country and mothers are older on average here than in most other parts of the capital.Islington is a snapshot of a trend also playing out not only in inner London but also other parts of the world.The situation has been described by the London Assembly as an "existential challenge" for the city as a whole, so what are the reasons behind this and what can be done about it? Keen to find out more about family life in Islington, I joined a Zip-Zap baby music class to speak to parents.Tiphanie Frutuoso and her husband had their first baby this year."My husband and I have a one-bedroom flat – a two-bedroom is super expensive. "Childcare is £2,000-£3,000 a month."They are moving back to Luxembourg, partly because childcare is free."It's really sad because we love London. We have better job opportunities here," Frutuoso added.Image caption, Tina Meschino had her first child at 41 as she wanted to get to an executive level firstTina Meschino had her first child at 41."I've always been career-driven. I moved to London from Australia for career opportunities. "It's taken a while to get to where I want to be – an executive position – which felt like the right time to start a family."But she added that it was very difficult to find a suitable home with enough space, within budget. Samantha Nagaratnam had her daughter at 3...