🔗 Share this article A Growing ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: The Way Affluence and Deprivation Are Found Cheek by Jowl in England. Within Nunsthorpe, residents occupy homes just a few metres from their wealthier neighbours in nearby Scartho village. One 1.8-metre-high wall physically separates the two communities in the town of Grimsby, sealing off roads and walkways that previously connected them. “This is the posh-poor divide,” said a resident, 37. “It has been there for as long as I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll bring it down because I suspect they’ll want to mix with us.” A Stark Pattern Across the Country Data from government figures reveals how deep disparity often exists, at times over little more than a few metres of asphalt, a line of hedges or a barrier. Decades of budget cuts and underinvestment mean almost two-thirds of councils now have a locality ranking as one of the most deprived in the country. This geographical widening of poverty has led to a significant rise in the number of places where disadvantaged and well-off people end up as immediate neighbours. In 2019, just 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods adjoined one of the least deprived. This number rose to 119 in the latest data. A Barrier Which Divides More Than Space At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the most pronounced in the UK and painfully apparent. The wall transcends being just a symbolic division; it causes tangible problems for everyday life. School runs that should take a quarter of an hour turn into an sixty-minute journey. Access to key services like grocery stores, schools and employment centres is made more difficult. The area often sees antisocial behaviour, with instances of litter being dumped over the wall and related problems. “You try to have a nice house and nice garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one resident, motioning at the rusted metal wall. Local Bonds Amidst Challenges Within Centre4, staff emphasise that need does not recognise postcodes. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” explained director a community leader. Despite being placed in the lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate boasts a strong sense and sense of togetherness among its residents. By contrast, Scartho ranks among the most prosperous 10% nationally. Echoes Elsewhere: Stanhope in Ashford This pattern is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a mid-century housing development, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in England. It is immediately adjacent by large detached homes built in the early 2000s that sit in the top 10% for employment and quality of surroundings. “They might have larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” commented a long-term resident, 63. “It’s likely many people in the new builds never even talk to each other.” The economic divide is evident: an average family home costs about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while on the other side comparable homes go for about £410,000. Residents describe a tangible feeling of being overlooked. “This part of the community is neglected,” said holistic health worker Susan. “In this area our amenities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the issues we face here are to do with financial hardship.” The rise in these ‘inequality borders’ paints a picture of an increasingly divided society, where prosperity and deprivation are frequently awkwardly close neighbours.
Within Nunsthorpe, residents occupy homes just a few metres from their wealthier neighbours in nearby Scartho village. One 1.8-metre-high wall physically separates the two communities in the town of Grimsby, sealing off roads and walkways that previously connected them. “This is the posh-poor divide,” said a resident, 37. “It has been there for as long as I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll bring it down because I suspect they’ll want to mix with us.” A Stark Pattern Across the Country Data from government figures reveals how deep disparity often exists, at times over little more than a few metres of asphalt, a line of hedges or a barrier. Decades of budget cuts and underinvestment mean almost two-thirds of councils now have a locality ranking as one of the most deprived in the country. This geographical widening of poverty has led to a significant rise in the number of places where disadvantaged and well-off people end up as immediate neighbours. In 2019, just 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods adjoined one of the least deprived. This number rose to 119 in the latest data. A Barrier Which Divides More Than Space At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the most pronounced in the UK and painfully apparent. The wall transcends being just a symbolic division; it causes tangible problems for everyday life. School runs that should take a quarter of an hour turn into an sixty-minute journey. Access to key services like grocery stores, schools and employment centres is made more difficult. The area often sees antisocial behaviour, with instances of litter being dumped over the wall and related problems. “You try to have a nice house and nice garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one resident, motioning at the rusted metal wall. Local Bonds Amidst Challenges Within Centre4, staff emphasise that need does not recognise postcodes. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” explained director a community leader. Despite being placed in the lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate boasts a strong sense and sense of togetherness among its residents. By contrast, Scartho ranks among the most prosperous 10% nationally. Echoes Elsewhere: Stanhope in Ashford This pattern is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a mid-century housing development, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in England. It is immediately adjacent by large detached homes built in the early 2000s that sit in the top 10% for employment and quality of surroundings. “They might have larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” commented a long-term resident, 63. “It’s likely many people in the new builds never even talk to each other.” The economic divide is evident: an average family home costs about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while on the other side comparable homes go for about £410,000. Residents describe a tangible feeling of being overlooked. “This part of the community is neglected,” said holistic health worker Susan. “In this area our amenities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the issues we face here are to do with financial hardship.” The rise in these ‘inequality borders’ paints a picture of an increasingly divided society, where prosperity and deprivation are frequently awkwardly close neighbours.