A Rising ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: How Affluence and Deprivation Now Sit Side by Side in England.

Within a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, residents occupy homes only a few metres from their wealthier neighbours in the adjacent Scartho. One 1.8-metre-high barricade physically divides the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off roads and walkways that once linked them.

“It’s the posh-poor divide,” said Serenity Colley, 37. “It has been there since I’ve known. I doubt they’ll take it down because I suspect they’ll want to associate with us.”

An Increasingly Common National Picture

Analysis of government statistics shows the extent of inequality often exists, sometimes over nothing more than a few metres of tarmac, a hedge row or a barrier. Years of austerity and underinvestment have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of local authorities now contain a neighbourhood ranking as one of the poorest in the country.

The geographical widening of deprivation has led to a sharp increase in the quantity of locations where disadvantaged and affluent people end up living side by side. Just a few years ago, only 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods bordered one of the least deprived. This number rose to 119 in the latest data.

A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Space

In Grimsby, the gap is the biggest in the country and starkly obvious. The barrier transcends being just a symbolic divide; it creates very real difficulties for everyday life.

• School runs that should take a quarter of an hour turn into an hour-long journey.
• Access to important services like grocery stores, schools and employment centres is hindered.
• The site can attract vandalism and loitering, with instances of litter being thrown over the wall and related problems.

“People strive to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one local, motioning at the rusted metal wall.

Community Spirit Against a Backdrop of Hardship

Within Centre4, workers stress that need transcends postcodes. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” explained chief executive Tracey Good.

Despite being placed in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe retains a strong sense and sense of togetherness among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, Scartho is classified among the least deprived 10% overall.

A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford

This phenomenon is mirrored nationally. The Stanhope area in Kent, a mid-century housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of neighbourhoods in England. It is closely bordered by large detached homes built in the 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for employment and living environment.

“They may possess bigger houses, but here there’s more community,” commented a long-term resident, aged 63. “You’ll probably find many people over there never even talk to each other.”

The financial gap is evident: an typical three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while on the other side comparable properties go for about £410,000.

Residents describe a palpable feeling of neglect. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” said resident Susan. “In this area our amenities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the issues we face here are related to financial hardship.”

The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a picture of an ever more divided England, where prosperity and need are frequently awkwardly in close proximity.