A Growing ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: The Way Prosperity and Deprivation Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in England.
In Nunsthorpe, inhabitants live in properties only a few metres from their more affluent counterparts in the adjacent Scartho. One 1.8-metre-high wall literally divides the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off paths and streets that previously connected them.
“It’s the divide between rich and poor,” remarked Serenity Colley, aged 37. “It’s been like this since I’ve known. I doubt they’ll take it down because I suspect they’ll want to associate with us.”
A Stark National Picture
Data from government figures shows the extent of inequality can run, sometimes over little more than a few metres of asphalt, a hedge row or a wall. Decades of austerity and lack of funding have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of local authorities now contain a locality classified as one of the most deprived in the nation.
This geographical widening of deprivation has led to a sharp rise in the quantity of places where deprived and well-off people end up living side by side. In 2019, just 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods adjoined one of the least deprived. That figure rose to 119 in the latest data.
A Wall That Does More Than Separate Space
In Grimsby, the divide is the most pronounced in the UK and starkly apparent. The wall transcends being just a metaphorical divide; it causes very real problems for daily routines.
- The school commute that should take 15-20 minutes turn into an hour-long detour.
- Access to key services like grocery stores, educational facilities and employment centres is made more difficult.
- The site often sees vandalism and loitering, with instances of rubbish being dumped over the wall and other problems.
“People strive to maintain a nice house and nice garden, and then you reside facing that,” noted one resident, gesturing towards the rusted barricade.
Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Hardship
Within Centre4, workers emphasise that need does not recognise postcodes. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” said chief executive a community leader.
Despite being placed in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate retains a fierce loyalty and feeling of community among its residents. Meanwhile, the neighbouring area ranks among the most prosperous 10% overall.
Echoes Elsewhere: An Estate in Kent
This phenomenon is mirrored nationally. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in the country. It is immediately adjacent by large houses built in the early 2000s that sit in the top 10% for employment and quality of surroundings.
“They may possess bigger houses, but here there’s more community,” said Phil Hockley, aged 63. “It’s likely many people in the new builds never even talk to each other.”
The financial gap is clear: an average family home sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide comparable homes go for about £410,000.
Residents speak of a palpable sense of being overlooked. “This part of the community gets ignored,” said resident Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our amenities have gradually disappeared, and most of the issues we face here are to do with financial hardship.”
The increase in these ‘inequality borders’ presents a portrait of an ever more divided society, where wealth and need are frequently uncomfortably close neighbours.