A Rising ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Affluence and Deprivation Now Sit Side by Side in England.
Within Nunsthorpe, residents occupy homes just a few metres from their more affluent counterparts in nearby Scartho. One 1.8-metre-high wall literally divides the two communities in the town of Grimsby, sealing off paths and streets that once connected them.
“This is the divide between rich and poor,” said a resident, aged 37. “It’s been like this for as long as I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll bring it down because I don’t think they’ll want to associate with us.”
A Stark Pattern Across the Country
Data from official statistics reveals how deep inequality often exists, at times across nothing more than a short distance of tarmac, a line of hedges or a wall. Decades of austerity and underinvestment have led to a situation where a majority of councils now contain a locality ranking as one of the most deprived in the nation.
This geographical widening of deprivation has coincided with a significant rise in the quantity of places where deprived and well-off people find themselves living side by side. Just a few years ago, only 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods bordered one of the wealthiest. That figure increased to 119 in the latest data.
A Wall That Divides More Than Land
At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the biggest in the country and painfully apparent. The barrier transcends being just a symbolic division; it causes very real difficulties for daily routines.
- The school commute that ought to take 15-20 minutes turn into an sixty-minute detour.
- Access to important amenities like grocery stores, educational facilities and employment centres is hindered.
- The area often sees vandalism and loitering, with instances of rubbish being dumped over the wall and other issues.
“People strive to maintain a nice house and nice garden, and then you reside facing that,” noted one local, motioning at the corroded metal wall.
Community Spirit Against a Backdrop of Hardship
At a local community centre, staff emphasise that support transcends postcodes. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” explained director a community leader.
Despite ranking in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe boasts a strong sense and feeling of togetherness among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, the neighbouring area is classified among the least deprived 10% nationally.
A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent
This pattern is repeated across the country. The Stanhope area in Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the 10% most deprived of neighbourhoods in England. It is closely bordered by spacious houses built in the 2000s that are in the top 10% for employment and living environment.
“They might have larger properties, but here there’s more community,” said Phil Hockley, aged 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.”
The economic divide is evident: an average three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide equivalent homes go for about £410,000.
Locals speak of a palpable sense of neglect. “This part of the community is neglected,” stated holistic health worker Susan. “Over here our amenities have gradually disappeared, and most of the issues we face here are related to poverty.”
The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a picture of an increasingly segregated society, where prosperity and need are frequently awkwardly in close proximity.
