🔗 Share this article A Rising ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: The Way Affluence and Deprivation Are Found Cheek by Jowl in Across England. In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants live in homes just several yards from their more affluent counterparts in the adjacent Scartho. A 1.8-metre-high barricade physically separates the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off paths and streets that once connected them. “This is the posh-poor divide,” remarked a resident, 37. “It’s been like this since I’ve known. I doubt they’ll bring it down because I don’t think they’ll want to associate with us.” A Stark Pattern Across the Country Data from official figures shows how deep disparity often exists, sometimes across nothing more than a short distance of tarmac, a line of hedges or a barrier. Decades of austerity and lack of funding mean a majority of councils now have a locality ranking as one of the poorest in the nation. This spread of deprivation has coincided with a significant increase in the number of places where deprived and affluent people end up living side by side. In 2019, just 65 of the poorest areas adjoined one of the wealthiest. This number increased to 119 in the most recent data. A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Land In Grimsby, the gap is the biggest in the UK and painfully obvious. The wall transcends being just a symbolic division; it creates very real problems for daily routines. The school commute that ought to take a quarter of an hour become an sixty-minute journey. Reaching key services like grocery stores, schools and care homes is hindered. The site can attract antisocial behaviour, with instances of rubbish being thrown over the wall and related problems. “You try to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one local, motioning at the rusted barricade. Community Spirit Against a Backdrop of Challenges Within Centre4, staff stress that need transcends addresses. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” explained director a community leader. Regardless of ranking in the lowest 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe boasts a strong sense and feeling of community among its residents. By contrast, the neighbouring area is classified among the most prosperous 10% overall. A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford This pattern is repeated nationally. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in the country. It is closely bordered by spacious detached homes built in the early 2000s that are in the top 10% for job prospects and quality of surroundings. “They may possess larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” commented a long-term resident, aged 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people over there don’t even speak to each other.” The financial divide is clear: an typical three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide equivalent properties fetch about £410,000. Locals describe a tangible sense of neglect. “This part of the community gets ignored,” stated holistic health worker Susan. “Over here our amenities have slowly been taken away, and the majority of the community problems here are to do with financial hardship.” The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a portrait of an increasingly segregated society, where wealth and need are often awkwardly in close proximity.
In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants live in homes just several yards from their more affluent counterparts in the adjacent Scartho. A 1.8-metre-high barricade physically separates the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off paths and streets that once connected them. “This is the posh-poor divide,” remarked a resident, 37. “It’s been like this since I’ve known. I doubt they’ll bring it down because I don’t think they’ll want to associate with us.” A Stark Pattern Across the Country Data from official figures shows how deep disparity often exists, sometimes across nothing more than a short distance of tarmac, a line of hedges or a barrier. Decades of austerity and lack of funding mean a majority of councils now have a locality ranking as one of the poorest in the nation. This spread of deprivation has coincided with a significant increase in the number of places where deprived and affluent people end up living side by side. In 2019, just 65 of the poorest areas adjoined one of the wealthiest. This number increased to 119 in the most recent data. A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Land In Grimsby, the gap is the biggest in the UK and painfully obvious. The wall transcends being just a symbolic division; it creates very real problems for daily routines. The school commute that ought to take a quarter of an hour become an sixty-minute journey. Reaching key services like grocery stores, schools and care homes is hindered. The site can attract antisocial behaviour, with instances of rubbish being thrown over the wall and related problems. “You try to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one local, motioning at the rusted barricade. Community Spirit Against a Backdrop of Challenges Within Centre4, staff stress that need transcends addresses. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” explained director a community leader. Regardless of ranking in the lowest 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe boasts a strong sense and feeling of community among its residents. By contrast, the neighbouring area is classified among the most prosperous 10% overall. A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford This pattern is repeated nationally. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in the country. It is closely bordered by spacious detached homes built in the early 2000s that are in the top 10% for job prospects and quality of surroundings. “They may possess larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” commented a long-term resident, aged 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people over there don’t even speak to each other.” The financial divide is clear: an typical three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide equivalent properties fetch about £410,000. Locals describe a tangible sense of neglect. “This part of the community gets ignored,” stated holistic health worker Susan. “Over here our amenities have slowly been taken away, and the majority of the community problems here are to do with financial hardship.” The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a portrait of an increasingly segregated society, where wealth and need are often awkwardly in close proximity.