The Growing ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Prosperity and Deprivation Are Found Cheek by Jowl in England.
In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, residents occupy homes just a few metres from their wealthier neighbours in nearby Scartho. A six-foot-tall wall literally separates the two communities in the town of Grimsby, blocking off paths and streets that once connected them.
“It’s the divide between rich and poor,” remarked a resident, 37. “It’s been like this for as long as I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll bring it down because I don’t think they’ll want to mix with us.”
An Increasingly Common National Picture
Data from official figures shows the extent of disparity can run, sometimes over nothing more than a few metres of tarmac, a line of hedges or a wall. Years of budget cuts and lack of funding mean a majority of local authorities now contain a neighbourhood classified as one of the poorest in the country.
The spread of poverty has led to a sharp rise in the quantity of places where deprived and affluent people end up as immediate neighbours. In 2019, just 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods bordered one of the least deprived. That figure rose to 119 in the most recent data.
A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Space
In Grimsby, the gap is the biggest in the country and starkly apparent. The wall is much more than a symbolic divide; it creates tangible difficulties for daily routines.
- The school commute that should take a quarter of an hour become an sixty-minute journey.
- Access to important services like grocery stores, educational facilities and care homes is hindered.
- The site often sees vandalism and loitering, with instances of rubbish being thrown over the wall and related issues.
“People strive to have a nice house and nice garden, and then you reside facing that,” noted one resident, motioning at 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 level of challenge,” explained director Tracey Good.
Regardless of ranking in the lowest 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe boasts a strong sense and sense of community among its residents. By contrast, Scartho ranks among the most prosperous 10% overall.
A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent
This pattern is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope estate in Ashford, Kent, a mid-century 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 wealthiest tenth for employment and living environment.
“They might have larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” commented a long-term resident, 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people over there never even talk to each other.”
The economic gap is evident: an average three-bedroom house costs about £275,000 on the estate, while on the other side comparable homes go for about £410,000.
Residents describe a palpable sense of neglect. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” said resident Susan. “Over here our amenities have slowly been taken away, and the majority of the issues we face here are to do with financial hardship.”
The rise in these ‘inequality borders’ presents a portrait of an ever more segregated society, where wealth and need are often uncomfortably in close proximity.
