Will the decline ever end or is this the new norm for the UK?

Moved to London in 2009. We were 19, with 2 kids, very little money and no family there. Somehow we made it work, and we absolutely loved living there. Summer 2012 was just amazing. Something changed during covid, I can’t put my finger on it. Maybe it was just an accelerant, but living there became increasingly unpleasant. I’d never felt unsafe in London, but now I do In June 2022, we packed up and left for a small town on the north east coast. It’s a different life, in many ways better. I often miss London, but then I realise it’s the London of 10 years ago that I miss. I’d say around half of our friends (a pretty diverse bunch) have left London or are looking to leave.