The Rising ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: How Affluence and Deprivation Are Found Cheek by Jowl in England.
Within a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants live in homes just several yards from their wealthier counterparts in nearby Scartho. One 1.8-metre-high wall literally divides the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off paths and streets that once connected them.
“It’s the posh-poor divide,” said a resident, 37. “It has been there for as long as I’ve known. I doubt they’ll take it down because I suspect they’ll want to associate with us.”
An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country
Data from official statistics shows how deep disparity often exists, sometimes across little more than a short distance of asphalt, a line of hedges or a barrier. Decades of austerity and underinvestment mean a majority of local authorities now contain a neighbourhood ranking as one of the most deprived in the nation.
The spread of deprivation has led to a significant increase in the quantity of places where deprived and well-off residents end up living side by side. In 2019, just 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods bordered one of the wealthiest. This number increased to 119 in the most recent data.
A Barrier Which Divides More Than Land
At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the biggest in the country and painfully obvious. The barrier is much more than a symbolic division; it creates tangible problems for daily routines.
- School runs that should take 15-20 minutes turn into an hour-long detour.
- Access to key amenities like supermarkets, schools and employment centres is hindered.
- The site often sees 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,” noted one resident, motioning at the corroded metal wall.
Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Challenges
Within a local community centre, workers emphasise that need does not recognise addresses. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” said chief executive Tracey Good.
Despite being placed in the lowest 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe boasts a strong sense and sense of community among its inhabitants. By contrast, the neighbouring area is classified among the most prosperous 10% overall.
Echoes Elsewhere: Stanhope in Ashford
This phenomenon is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope estate in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the 10% most deprived of neighbourhoods in the country. It is immediately adjacent by large houses built in the 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for employment and living environment.
“They might have larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” said Phil Hockley, aged 63. “You’ll probably find many people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.”
The economic divide is evident: an typical three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide equivalent homes fetch about £410,000.
Locals describe a palpable feeling of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” said holistic health worker Susan. “In this area our amenities have gradually disappeared, and most of the issues we face here are to do with financial hardship.”
The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a portrait of an increasingly divided society, where prosperity and need are often uncomfortably close neighbours.
