🔗 Share this article A Rising ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: The Way Prosperity and Deprivation Now Sit Side by Side in England. Within Nunsthorpe, residents live in properties just several yards from their more affluent counterparts in the adjacent Scartho village. One 1.8-metre-high wall physically separates the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off roads and walkways that once linked them. “It’s the divide between rich and poor,” said a resident, 37. “It has been there since I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll bring it down because I suspect they’ll want to mix with us.” An Increasingly Common National Picture Analysis of official figures shows how deep inequality can run, sometimes over little more than a short distance of tarmac, a line of hedges or a barrier. Years of budget cuts and lack of funding mean a majority of councils now have a locality classified as one of the most deprived in the nation. This geographical widening of poverty has coincided with a sharp increase in the number of locations where disadvantaged and well-off people find themselves as immediate neighbours. In 2019, just 65 of the most deprived areas bordered one of the wealthiest. That figure rose to 119 in the most recent data. A Wall That Does More Than Separate Land At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the biggest in the country and painfully obvious. The wall is much more than a metaphorical divide; it causes tangible difficulties for everyday life. The school commute that ought to take 15-20 minutes turn into an hour-long journey. Access to important amenities like supermarkets, educational facilities and employment centres is hindered. The area can attract antisocial behaviour, with instances of litter being thrown over the wall and related issues. “People strive to maintain a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one resident, gesturing towards the corroded barricade. Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Challenges Within a local community centre, staff stress that support transcends postcodes. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” said chief executive Tracey Good. Regardless of being placed 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. Meanwhile, Scartho ranks among the most prosperous 10% nationally. Echoes Elsewhere: An Estate in Kent This phenomenon is repeated nationally. The Stanhope area in Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in England. It is closely bordered by large detached homes built in the early 2000s that are in the top 10% for employment and living environment. “They may possess bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” said a long-term resident, 63. “It’s likely a lot of people in the new builds never even talk to each other.” The economic divide is evident: an typical family home costs about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide equivalent homes fetch about £410,000. Residents speak of a tangible feeling of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” stated resident Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our facilities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the issues we face here are related to poverty.” The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a portrait of an ever more divided society, where wealth and need are often awkwardly close neighbours.
Within Nunsthorpe, residents live in properties just several yards from their more affluent counterparts in the adjacent Scartho village. One 1.8-metre-high wall physically separates the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off roads and walkways that once linked them. “It’s the divide between rich and poor,” said a resident, 37. “It has been there since I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll bring it down because I suspect they’ll want to mix with us.” An Increasingly Common National Picture Analysis of official figures shows how deep inequality can run, sometimes over little more than a short distance of tarmac, a line of hedges or a barrier. Years of budget cuts and lack of funding mean a majority of councils now have a locality classified as one of the most deprived in the nation. This geographical widening of poverty has coincided with a sharp increase in the number of locations where disadvantaged and well-off people find themselves as immediate neighbours. In 2019, just 65 of the most deprived areas bordered one of the wealthiest. That figure rose to 119 in the most recent data. A Wall That Does More Than Separate Land At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the biggest in the country and painfully obvious. The wall is much more than a metaphorical divide; it causes tangible difficulties for everyday life. The school commute that ought to take 15-20 minutes turn into an hour-long journey. Access to important amenities like supermarkets, educational facilities and employment centres is hindered. The area can attract antisocial behaviour, with instances of litter being thrown over the wall and related issues. “People strive to maintain a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one resident, gesturing towards the corroded barricade. Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Challenges Within a local community centre, staff stress that support transcends postcodes. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” said chief executive Tracey Good. Regardless of being placed 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. Meanwhile, Scartho ranks among the most prosperous 10% nationally. Echoes Elsewhere: An Estate in Kent This phenomenon is repeated nationally. The Stanhope area in Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in England. It is closely bordered by large detached homes built in the early 2000s that are in the top 10% for employment and living environment. “They may possess bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” said a long-term resident, 63. “It’s likely a lot of people in the new builds never even talk to each other.” The economic divide is evident: an typical family home costs about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide equivalent homes fetch about £410,000. Residents speak of a tangible feeling of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” stated resident Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our facilities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the issues we face here are related to poverty.” The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a portrait of an ever more divided society, where wealth and need are often awkwardly close neighbours.