However, before you plan a move to Bromley a separate poll has found that people living in the capital are more lonely than anywhere else in the United Kingdom. Research has shown 35% of Londoners report being lonely often or some of the time. This compared to 28% for the rest of the UK, the study found. Surprisingly, young women in particular have expressed being lonelier than ever before rather than the elderly.

The research was conducted by the Belonging Forum, which aims to combat loneliness. It polled a nationally representative sample of more than 10,000 people across the United Kingdom. This included 1,300 based in London and noted their feelings relating to loneliness. It is said to be the biggest national poll on the subject ever conducted in the country.

The study was able to pinpoint which constituency in London was the loneliest. People living in Vauxhall and Camberwell Green are said to be the loneliest in the country, with 41 per cent of people regularly feeling alone. This is closely followed by 39 per cent of respondents in Bermondsey and Old Southwark. The same percentage of respondents also reported being lonely in Hackney South and Shoreditch, Islington South and Finsbury, and Lewisham North.

But for those living on the outskirts of London their feelings of loneliness were quite the opposite. Those living in Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner and Sutton and Cheam reported the highest number of people professing to be hardly or never lonely. The capital on the whole had a higher-than-average loneliness ratio - despite Londoners reporting being more likely to regularly socialise or eat with neighbours.

Kim Samuel, founder of the Belonging Forum, said the statistics showed there were “real issues” in London with social connection. She suggested that the high loneliness in the capital could be down to the impact of social media on the youth.

“In this research we have seen that young women and renters are being disproportionately affected by issues like loneliness, and the higher prevalence of these groups in central London could be a driving factor in the results there,” she said. “We know from other reputable sources, such as the UN’s recent World Happiness Report, that the factors like economic insecurity, increased polarisation and negative consequences from social media all have an impact on young people’s place in society. With London having the lowest median age of any UK region it is unfortunately not entirely surprising to see some of these issues coming through strongly in our results.”

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