A Rising ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: The Way Prosperity and Hardship Now Sit Side by Side in England.
Within a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants live in homes just several yards from their more affluent neighbours in nearby Scartho. One six-foot-tall barricade physically separates the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off roads and walkways that once linked them.
“It’s the divide between rich and poor,” said Serenity Colley, 37. “It’s been like this for as long as I’ve known. I doubt they’ll take it down because I don’t think they’ll want to associate with us.”
A Stark Pattern Across the Country
Analysis of official figures shows how deep inequality often exists, at times across nothing more than a short distance of tarmac, a hedge row or a barrier. Years of budget cuts and lack of funding have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of local authorities now have a locality classified as one of the most deprived in the nation.
This spread of poverty has led to a sharp rise in the number of locations where deprived and affluent people end up living side by side. In 2019, only 65 of the most deprived areas adjoined one of the wealthiest. That figure increased to 119 in the latest data.
A Wall That Divides More Than Space
At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the most pronounced in the country and starkly apparent. The wall transcends being just a symbolic division; it creates tangible difficulties for everyday life.
- School runs that ought to take a quarter of an hour turn into an hour-long journey.
- Access to key services like grocery stores, educational facilities and care homes is made more difficult.
- The site can attract vandalism and loitering, with reports of rubbish being thrown over the wall and related problems.
“People strive to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one local, motioning at the corroded metal wall.
Community Spirit Against a Backdrop of Hardship
Within Centre4, workers stress that need does not recognise addresses. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” explained chief executive a community leader.
Despite ranking in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe boasts a fierce loyalty and feeling of community among its residents. By contrast, Scartho is classified among the most prosperous 10% overall.
A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford
This pattern is repeated nationally. The Stanhope estate in Ashford, Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in the country. It is immediately adjacent by spacious detached homes built in the 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and quality of surroundings.
“They may possess bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” said Phil Hockley, aged 63. “It’s likely a lot of people over there never even talk to each other.”
The financial gap is evident: an typical family home sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while on the other side comparable homes fetch about £410,000.
Locals describe a palpable sense of being overlooked. “This part of the community gets ignored,” said resident Susan. “Over here our facilities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the community problems here are related to financial hardship.”
The increase in these ‘inequality borders’ paints a picture of an ever more divided society, where wealth and deprivation are frequently uncomfortably close neighbours.