A Growing ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Affluence and Hardship Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in Across England.
Within Nunsthorpe, inhabitants occupy properties just several yards from their wealthier counterparts in nearby Scartho village. One 1.8-metre-high barricade literally separates the two communities in the town of Grimsby, blocking off paths and streets that once connected them.
“It’s the divide between rich and poor,” remarked Serenity Colley, aged 37. “It’s been like this for as long as I’ve known. I doubt they’ll take it down because I don’t think they’ll want to mix with us.”
An Increasingly Common National Picture
Analysis of official statistics shows how deep inequality often exists, at times over little more than a few metres of tarmac, a line of hedges or a barrier. Years of budget cuts and lack of funding mean almost two-thirds of local authorities now contain a locality classified as one of the most deprived in the country.
The spread of poverty has led to a significant rise in the number of locations where disadvantaged and affluent people find themselves living side by side. In 2019, only 65 of the most deprived areas bordered one of the least deprived. That figure rose to 119 in the latest data.
A Wall That Divides More Than Land
In Grimsby, the divide is the most pronounced in the UK and painfully obvious. The wall transcends being just a metaphorical division; it creates very real problems for daily routines.
- The school commute that should take a quarter of an hour become an sixty-minute journey.
- Access to key services like supermarkets, educational facilities and care homes is hindered.
- The site can attract antisocial behaviour, with instances of rubbish being thrown over the wall and related problems.
“People strive to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one resident, motioning at the rusted metal wall.
Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Hardship
Within Centre4, workers stress that need does not recognise postcodes. “Where you live is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” said chief executive a community leader.
Despite being placed in the lowest 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, the estate boasts a strong sense and feeling of community among its inhabitants. By contrast, the neighbouring area ranks among the least deprived 10% nationally.
Echoes Elsewhere: Stanhope in Ashford
This pattern is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of neighbourhoods in the country. It is immediately adjacent by large detached homes built in the early 2000s that sit in the top 10% for job prospects and living environment.
“They might have bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” said a long-term resident, 63. “It’s likely many people over there never even talk to each other.”
The financial gap is clear: an typical three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide comparable properties fetch about £410,000.
Locals describe a palpable feeling of neglect. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” said holistic health worker Susan. “In this area our amenities have slowly been taken away, and the majority of the issues we face here are to do with poverty.”
The increase in these ‘inequality borders’ paints a picture of an ever more segregated society, where wealth and deprivation are often uncomfortably in close proximity.
