A Rising ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Prosperity and Hardship Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in Across England.
Within Nunsthorpe, inhabitants occupy homes only several yards from their wealthier counterparts in the adjacent Scartho village. One six-foot-tall barricade literally divides the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off roads and walkways that once linked them.
“This is the divide between rich and poor,” remarked a resident, 37. “It’s been like this for as long as I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll take it down because I don’t think they’ll want to mix with us.”
An Increasingly Common National Picture
Analysis of government statistics shows how deep inequality can run, sometimes over little more than a few metres of asphalt, a line of hedges or a wall. Years of budget cuts and lack of funding have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of councils now contain a locality ranking as one of the most deprived in the nation.
The spread of poverty has coincided with a sharp increase in the quantity of locations where deprived and affluent people find themselves as immediate neighbours. In 2019, just 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods bordered one of the wealthiest. That figure rose to 119 in the latest data.
A Wall That Does More Than Separate Space
In Grimsby, the gap is the biggest in the UK and starkly apparent. The barrier transcends being just a metaphorical division; it creates tangible problems for everyday life.
- The school commute that ought to take a quarter of an hour become an hour-long detour.
- Reaching key amenities like grocery stores, schools and care homes is hindered.
- The area can attract vandalism and loitering, with instances of rubbish being dumped over the wall and related problems.
“People strive to maintain a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one local, motioning at the rusted metal wall.
Local Bonds Amidst Challenges
Within Centre4, staff stress that need transcends addresses. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” said chief executive Tracey Good.
Regardless of being placed in the lowest 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe boasts a fierce loyalty and feeling of community among its residents. Meanwhile, the neighbouring area is classified among the least deprived 10% nationally.
Echoes Elsewhere: Stanhope in Ashford
This pattern is repeated across the country. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the 10% most deprived of neighbourhoods in the country. It is closely bordered by large houses built in the early 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for employment and living environment.
“They may possess larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” commented Phil Hockley, 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people over there don’t even speak to each other.”
The economic gap is clear: an typical family home costs about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while on the other side equivalent homes go for about £410,000.
Residents describe a palpable feeling of neglect. “This part of the community is neglected,” said resident Susan. “Over here our amenities have gradually disappeared, and most of the community problems here are related to financial hardship.”
The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a picture of an increasingly divided society, where wealth and need are frequently uncomfortably close neighbours.
