A Growing ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: How Affluence and Hardship Are Found Cheek by Jowl in England.

In Nunsthorpe, inhabitants live in homes just several yards from their wealthier neighbours in the adjacent Scartho village. A 1.8-metre-high barricade physically divides the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off paths and streets that once connected them.

“This is the posh-poor divide,” said a resident, 37. “It has been there since I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll take it down because I suspect they’ll want to associate with us.”

A Stark National Picture

Analysis of official statistics shows how deep disparity can run, at times across nothing more than a short distance of asphalt, a hedge row or a wall. Years of austerity and lack of funding have led to a situation where a majority of councils now have a locality ranking as one of the poorest in the nation.

The geographical widening of deprivation has led to a significant increase in the quantity of locations where deprived and affluent residents find themselves living side by side. In 2019, just 65 of the most deprived areas bordered one of the least deprived. That figure increased to 119 in the latest data.

A Wall That Divides More Than Land

In Grimsby, the divide is the biggest in the country and painfully apparent. The wall is much more than a symbolic divide; it causes very real problems for everyday life.

• School runs that ought to take a quarter of an hour turn into an hour-long journey.
• Access to key amenities like grocery stores, educational facilities and care homes is hindered.
• The area can attract vandalism and loitering, with reports of litter being thrown over the wall and related problems.

“You try to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” noted one resident, gesturing towards the corroded barricade.

Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Challenges

At Centre4, workers stress that need does not recognise postcodes. “Where you live is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” said chief executive a community leader.

Despite being placed in the lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe boasts a strong sense and sense of community among its inhabitants. By contrast, the neighbouring area ranks among the least deprived 10% nationally.

Echoes Elsewhere: Stanhope in Ashford

This pattern is repeated across the country. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of neighbourhoods in the country. It is immediately adjacent by large detached homes built in the early 2000s that sit in the top 10% for job prospects and living environment.

“They may possess bigger houses, but here there’s more community,” said Phil Hockley, 63. “It’s likely many people over there never even talk to each other.”

The economic gap is evident: an typical three-bedroom house costs about £275,000 on the estate, while on the other side equivalent properties go for about £410,000.

Locals describe a tangible sense of being overlooked. “This part of the community is neglected,” said resident Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our amenities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the issues we face here are related to poverty.”

The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a picture of an ever more segregated society, where wealth and need are frequently awkwardly in close proximity.