A Growing ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Affluence and Deprivation Are Found Side by Side in Across England.
Within a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants live in properties just a few metres from their more affluent counterparts in nearby Scartho village. One 1.8-metre-high wall physically divides the two areas in the town of Grimsby, sealing off roads and walkways that once linked them.
“This is the divide between rich and poor,” said Serenity Colley, 37. “It has been there for as long as I’ve known. I doubt they’ll bring it down because I suspect they’ll want to mix with us.”
An Increasingly Common National Picture
Analysis of official figures reveals the extent of inequality can run, sometimes across little more than a short distance of tarmac, a line of hedges or a barrier. Decades of budget cuts and lack of funding have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of local authorities now contain a neighbourhood classified as one of the poorest in the nation.
This spread of deprivation has led to a sharp increase in the number of places where deprived and well-off people find themselves as immediate neighbours. Just a few years ago, just 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods bordered one of the least deprived. This number rose to 119 in the most recent data.
A Barrier Which Divides More Than Land
In Grimsby, the gap is the biggest in the UK and starkly apparent. The wall transcends being just a symbolic division; it creates very real difficulties for everyday life.
- The school commute that should take 15-20 minutes turn into an hour-long detour.
- Access to important amenities like supermarkets, educational facilities and employment centres is hindered.
- The area often sees antisocial behaviour, with instances of rubbish being thrown over the wall and other issues.
“People strive to maintain a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one resident, motioning at the corroded barricade.
Community Spirit Against a Backdrop of Challenges
Within Centre4, staff emphasise that need does not recognise postcodes. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” said director a community leader.
Despite being placed in the lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate boasts a strong sense and sense of togetherness among its residents. Meanwhile, Scartho ranks among the least deprived 10% nationally.
A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent
This pattern is repeated across the country. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of neighbourhoods in the country. It is closely bordered by spacious houses built in the 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and quality of surroundings.
“They may possess bigger houses, but here there’s more community,” commented a long-term resident, 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people over there don’t even speak to each other.”
The economic gap is clear: an average family home sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide equivalent properties go for about £410,000.
Locals speak of a palpable sense of neglect. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” stated resident Susan. “Over here our facilities have slowly been taken away, and most of the issues we face here are related to financial hardship.”
The rise in these ‘inequality borders’ presents a picture of an increasingly divided England, where wealth and deprivation are often awkwardly in close proximity.
