A Growing ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: The Way Prosperity and Hardship Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in Across England.
In Nunsthorpe, inhabitants live in homes only a few metres from their more affluent counterparts in nearby Scartho. A 1.8-metre-high barricade literally separates the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off roads and walkways that previously linked them.
“It’s the posh-poor divide,” remarked a resident, aged 37. “It’s been like this since I’ve known. I doubt they’ll take it down because I don’t think they’ll want to associate with us.”
A Stark National Picture
Data from government figures reveals the extent of inequality can run, sometimes over little more than a short distance of asphalt, a line of hedges or a wall. Years of austerity and underinvestment mean almost two-thirds of councils now contain a neighbourhood classified as one of the most deprived in the country.
This geographical widening of poverty has coincided with a sharp rise in the number of locations where disadvantaged and well-off residents 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
In Grimsby, the gap is the biggest in the UK and painfully apparent. The barrier transcends being just a metaphorical divide; it causes very real difficulties for daily routines.
- The school commute that should take 15-20 minutes turn into an hour-long detour.
- Access to important services like grocery stores, educational facilities and employment centres is made more difficult.
- The area can attract antisocial behaviour, with instances of litter being thrown over the wall and other issues.
“You try to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one resident, gesturing towards the rusted metal wall.
Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Hardship
At Centre4, staff stress that support does not recognise postcodes. “Where you live is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” said director a community leader.
Regardless of ranking in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate retains a strong sense and feeling of togetherness among its residents. By contrast, Scartho ranks among the least deprived 10% nationally.
A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford
This pattern is repeated nationally. The Stanhope area in Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in England. It is closely bordered by large detached homes built in the 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for employment and living environment.
“They may possess larger properties, but here there’s more community,” commented a long-term resident, aged 63. “You’ll probably find many people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.”
The economic gap is clear: an average three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide comparable homes fetch about £410,000.
Residents speak of a palpable sense of neglect. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” said resident Susan. “In this area our facilities have slowly been taken away, and the majority of the community problems here are related to financial hardship.”
The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a picture of an ever more divided England, where prosperity and need are often awkwardly in close proximity.
