A Rising ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: How Prosperity and Hardship Are Found Cheek by Jowl in Across England.
In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, residents occupy homes only several yards from their more affluent counterparts in nearby Scartho. One six-foot-tall barricade physically divides the two communities in the town of Grimsby, blocking off roads and walkways that once connected them.
“It’s the posh-poor divide,” remarked a resident, 37. “It has been there for as long as I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll take it down because I don’t think they’ll want to mix with us.”
An Increasingly Common National Picture
Data from government statistics shows the extent of disparity can run, at times across little more than a short distance of tarmac, a hedge row 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 locality ranking as one of the most deprived in the country.
The spread of deprivation has led to a sharp increase in the quantity of locations where disadvantaged and well-off people find themselves as immediate neighbours. In 2019, just 65 of the poorest areas bordered one of the least deprived. That figure increased to 119 in the latest data.
A Barrier Which Divides More Than Space
In Grimsby, the divide is the most pronounced in the UK and painfully apparent. The wall is much more than a symbolic division; it causes tangible problems for everyday life.
- School runs that ought to take a quarter of an hour turn into an sixty-minute journey.
- Access to important services like supermarkets, educational facilities and care homes is made more difficult.
- The site can attract vandalism and loitering, with reports of litter being thrown over the wall and other issues.
“People strive to maintain a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one resident, gesturing towards the rusted metal wall.
Local Bonds Amidst Hardship
At Centre4, workers emphasise that need transcends postcodes. “Where you live is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” explained director Tracey Good.
Despite being placed in the lowest 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, the estate boasts a fierce loyalty and sense of togetherness among its residents. Meanwhile, Scartho ranks among the least deprived 10% nationally.
Echoes Elsewhere: An Estate in Kent
This pattern is repeated nationally. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in the country. It is immediately adjacent by large detached homes built in the 2000s that are in the top 10% for job prospects and living environment.
“They may possess bigger houses, but here there’s more community,” said Phil Hockley, aged 63. “You’ll probably find many people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.”
The financial divide is evident: an average family home sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide comparable homes fetch about £410,000.
Locals speak of a palpable sense of being overlooked. “This part of the community is neglected,” said resident Susan. “In this area our amenities have slowly been taken away, and the majority of the community problems here are related to financial hardship.”
The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a picture of an increasingly segregated society, where prosperity and need are often awkwardly close neighbours.
