Streatham’s outgoing MP said he was disappointed the area had not risen more quickly out of poverty during his time in office.

Keith Hill MP said while “major strides” had been taken, he would have liked the borough to have gone further towards the elimination of relative poverty.

Campaign group End Child Poverty stated 35 per cent of young people in Streatham were growing up below the poverty line.

But Mr Hill said everything he and the Government had done was to benefit the poorest in society.

He said investment in education, the Sure Start programme, housing, healthcare and policing were all helping to pull the poorest out of poverty.

He also said it was significant he entered office during a recession and was leaving in one.

Mr Hill pointed out how in 1992, unemployment in the area was 17 per cent, and the 19th worst in the country, while it was now at 7 per cent and Streatham was no longer in the top 100 worst-affected constituencies.

He said it was crucial to continue to invest in fighting crime and intervening sooner with young people to give future generations the best possible chance.

Mr Hill, who is stepping down as MP at the general election, spoke to the Streatham Guardian as he looked back on his 18 years in the job.

The MP, who during his tenure was Minister for London and Parliamentary Private Secretary for Prime Minister Tony Blair in 2005, estimated he had seen some 18,000 residents in more than 750 advice surgeries, attended more than 1,000 community events, and been directly involved with each of the 1,400 streets in his constituency.

He said his priorities during his time in office had been education and housing, and said schools were "unrecognisable now" compared with when he was first elected.

However, he did acknowledge authorities faced a challenge in providing school places for Streatham’s growing population.

One of his best achievements in housing was when residents created Clapham Park Homes to help transform one of the UK's most deprived estates, he said.

And the job he now faced as chair of Lambeth Living, the arms length management organisation set up by Lambeth Council to manage its housing stock, was “the most difficult thing he had ever taken on”.

Mr Hill said the best thing about the job was being involved so closely with every aspect of the community, from judging the yearly Streatham dog contest to helping asylum seekers.

When he steps down in May, he plans to stay in Streatham to “enjoy everything the area had to offer”.

GAFFS: A politician who has spent 18 years in office can expect to have made a few gaffes in his time.

Keith Hill remembers two very clearly, both of which were captured on camera for prosperity.

The first was a disastrous attempt to sing and rap while trying to encourage young voters in the Mayoral elections while the second saw Mr Hill laughing hysterically after stumbling on the tongue-twister "short sea shipping" during a parliamentary debate.

Check them both out at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBShQGrhaEM