🔗 Share this article A Rising ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: How Affluence and Hardship Are Found Side by Side in Across England. In Nunsthorpe, inhabitants occupy properties just several yards from their wealthier neighbours in nearby Scartho village. One 1.8-metre-high barricade literally separates the two areas in the town of Grimsby, sealing off roads and walkways that previously linked them. “It’s the posh-poor divide,” said a resident, aged 37. “It has been there 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 Analysis of government figures shows the extent of disparity often exists, sometimes across nothing more than a short distance of asphalt, a hedge row or a wall. Years of austerity and lack of funding mean a majority of local authorities now have a neighbourhood ranking as one of the poorest in the country. This geographical widening of deprivation has led to a significant increase in the quantity of locations where disadvantaged and well-off people find themselves as immediate neighbours. Just a few years ago, only 65 of the most deprived areas adjoined one of the least deprived. This number rose to 119 in the most recent data. A Wall That Does More Than Separate Space At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the biggest in the UK and painfully apparent. The wall is much more than a metaphorical divide; it causes very real difficulties for daily routines. The school commute that ought to take a quarter of an hour become an hour-long journey. Reaching important amenities like supermarkets, schools and employment centres is made more difficult. The area can attract vandalism and loitering, with instances of litter being dumped over the wall and other problems. “You try to maintain a nice house and nice garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one local, gesturing towards the corroded metal wall. Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Challenges At Centre4, workers emphasise that support transcends addresses. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” explained chief executive a community leader. Regardless of ranking in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe retains a fierce loyalty and feeling of community among its residents. Meanwhile, Scartho ranks among the most prosperous 10% overall. A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent This pattern is repeated across the country. The Stanhope area in Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in the country. It is closely bordered by large detached homes built in the 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for employment and quality of surroundings. “They might have larger properties, but here there’s more community,” said a long-term resident, 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 family home sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide equivalent homes go for about £410,000. Residents speak of a palpable feeling of being overlooked. “This part of the community gets ignored,” said holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our facilities have slowly been taken away, and the majority of the issues we face here are related to poverty.” The increase in these ‘inequality borders’ paints a portrait of an increasingly divided England, where wealth and deprivation are often uncomfortably in close proximity.
In Nunsthorpe, inhabitants occupy properties just several yards from their wealthier neighbours in nearby Scartho village. One 1.8-metre-high barricade literally separates the two areas in the town of Grimsby, sealing off roads and walkways that previously linked them. “It’s the posh-poor divide,” said a resident, aged 37. “It has been there 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 Analysis of government figures shows the extent of disparity often exists, sometimes across nothing more than a short distance of asphalt, a hedge row or a wall. Years of austerity and lack of funding mean a majority of local authorities now have a neighbourhood ranking as one of the poorest in the country. This geographical widening of deprivation has led to a significant increase in the quantity of locations where disadvantaged and well-off people find themselves as immediate neighbours. Just a few years ago, only 65 of the most deprived areas adjoined one of the least deprived. This number rose to 119 in the most recent data. A Wall That Does More Than Separate Space At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the biggest in the UK and painfully apparent. The wall is much more than a metaphorical divide; it causes very real difficulties for daily routines. The school commute that ought to take a quarter of an hour become an hour-long journey. Reaching important amenities like supermarkets, schools and employment centres is made more difficult. The area can attract vandalism and loitering, with instances of litter being dumped over the wall and other problems. “You try to maintain a nice house and nice garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one local, gesturing towards the corroded metal wall. Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Challenges At Centre4, workers emphasise that support transcends addresses. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” explained chief executive a community leader. Regardless of ranking in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe retains a fierce loyalty and feeling of community among its residents. Meanwhile, Scartho ranks among the most prosperous 10% overall. A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent This pattern is repeated across the country. The Stanhope area in Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in the country. It is closely bordered by large detached homes built in the 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for employment and quality of surroundings. “They might have larger properties, but here there’s more community,” said a long-term resident, 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 family home sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide equivalent homes go for about £410,000. Residents speak of a palpable feeling of being overlooked. “This part of the community gets ignored,” said holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our facilities have slowly been taken away, and the majority of the issues we face here are related to poverty.” The increase in these ‘inequality borders’ paints a portrait of an increasingly divided England, where wealth and deprivation are often uncomfortably in close proximity.