A Rising ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Prosperity and Hardship Now Sit Side by Side in England.
Within Nunsthorpe, residents live in properties just several yards from their more affluent neighbours in nearby Scartho. A 1.8-metre-high barricade literally separates the two communities in the town of Grimsby, blocking off roads and walkways that previously linked them.
“This is the divide between rich and poor,” remarked Serenity Colley, 37. “It’s been like this for as long as I’ve known. I doubt they’ll bring it down because I suspect they’ll want to associate with us.”
A Stark National Picture
Analysis of official figures reveals the extent of disparity can run, at times across nothing more than a few metres of asphalt, a hedge row or a barrier. Decades of austerity and lack of funding mean a majority of councils now have a neighbourhood ranking as one of the most deprived in the country.
The geographical widening of poverty has led to a sharp increase in the number of places where deprived and well-off people end up as immediate neighbours. In 2019, just 65 of the most deprived areas bordered one of the wealthiest. That figure rose to 119 in the latest data.
A Wall That Does More Than Separate Land
At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the most pronounced in the UK and painfully obvious. The wall transcends being just a metaphorical divide; it causes tangible difficulties for daily routines.
- The school commute that ought to take a quarter of an hour become an hour-long detour.
- Access to key services like grocery stores, educational facilities and care homes is hindered.
- The area often sees antisocial behaviour, 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,” said one local, gesturing towards the rusted barricade.
Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Hardship
At a local community centre, workers emphasise that support does not recognise addresses. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” explained director Tracey Good.
Despite ranking in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate retains a strong sense and sense of togetherness among its inhabitants. By contrast, the neighbouring area is classified among the most prosperous 10% overall.
Echoes Elsewhere: Stanhope in Ashford
This pattern is repeated across the country. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of neighbourhoods in England. It is immediately adjacent by spacious houses built in the 2000s that are in the top 10% for job prospects and quality of surroundings.
“They may possess bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” commented a long-term resident, 63. “It’s likely a lot of people over there don’t even speak to each other.”
The economic divide is evident: an average three-bedroom house costs about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide equivalent properties fetch about £410,000.
Locals describe a palpable sense of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” stated resident Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our facilities have slowly been taken away, and most of the issues we face here are to do with financial hardship.”
The increase in these ‘inequality borders’ presents a picture of an increasingly divided England, where wealth and deprivation are often awkwardly in close proximity.
