A question for the assembled

[erynn999.livejournal.com]

I'm working on an AU fic, part of which is set in the here and now. I have a question for someone familiar with modern London.



One of the current characters is an MP with a wife and a couple of teen-ish kids. The MP is a fairly liberal sort. The family is respectably middle-class and not particularly interested in flash or a displaying lot of tastelessly overdone wealth.

Where in London would someone like this live and be able to have either a reasonably-sized flat with a guest room or two, or a house?

Comments

[katead.livejournal.com]

Hi, (new here) middle class is a wide spectrum so depends how far up you mean but I suggest a north London district/ suburb, lots of middle to upper middle class homes about and quite a few MPs about. Hampstead is quite popular with MPs I believe but expensive so as I said.. depends where on the spectrum of middle class as I say.

Hope that helps :)

[erynn999.livejournal.com]

That does, thanks.

[katead.livejournal.com]

Just realise I've repeated myself in my turn of phrase several times, I blame being up since 6 this morning, I'm not usually this thick :S

[ancilla100.livejournal.com]

I agree it'd be in a suburb. Maybe Harrow, or you could go south of the river with Putney or Dulwich?

[erynn999.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the suggestions.

[lianne108.livejournal.com]

They would probably only have their main home in London if their constituency was in London. Many MPs have two homes - one in their constituency and another near parliament. So for example they might have their main home in say, Sheffield, and a flat near Westminster. They get an allowance to help them pay for their second home.

There's been a lot of criticism lately of this system as some MPs were accused of abusing this system to get a second home despite living in or near London.

But to answer your question...There are many places where you could get a flat like that. I know that one of the MPs involved in this scandal had a rented flat in Lambeth which is just across the river from Westminster so quite central.

[erynn999.livejournal.com]

Thank you. At this point I'm sort of figuring he's from London so lives there all the time, which would make things much easier on my poor brain.

Everybody's giving me somewhat different suggestions so I'm essentially pulling something out of a hat from a list of north London areas.