A Growing ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: How Affluence and Deprivation Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in England.
Within a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, residents occupy properties only several yards from their wealthier counterparts in the adjacent Scartho village. One 1.8-metre-high wall physically divides the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off roads and walkways that previously connected them.
“This is the posh-poor divide,” said a resident, aged 37. “It’s been like this since I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll bring it down because I suspect they’ll want to associate with us.”
An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country
Data from official figures reveals the extent of disparity can run, sometimes across nothing more than a few metres of tarmac, a hedge row or a barrier. Decades of austerity and lack of funding mean a majority of local authorities now contain a neighbourhood classified as one of the most deprived in the country.
This geographical widening of poverty has led to a sharp rise in the number of places where deprived and affluent people find themselves living side by side. 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 Wall That Divides More Than Space
In Grimsby, the divide is the most pronounced in the country and painfully apparent. The barrier is much more than a metaphorical divide; it creates tangible problems for daily routines.
- The school commute that should take 15-20 minutes turn into an sixty-minute detour.
- Reaching key services like supermarkets, educational facilities and care homes is hindered.
- The area often sees vandalism and loitering, with instances of rubbish being thrown over the wall and other problems.
“People strive to maintain a nice house and nice garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one local, motioning at the rusted barricade.
Local Bonds Amidst Hardship
Within Centre4, staff stress that need transcends addresses. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” said chief executive Tracey Good.
Regardless of ranking in the lowest 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, the estate boasts a fierce loyalty and feeling of community among its residents. Meanwhile, Scartho ranks among the most prosperous 10% nationally.
A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent
This pattern is mirrored nationally. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a mid-century housing development, is in the 10% most deprived of neighbourhoods in the country. It is immediately adjacent by large houses built in the early 2000s that sit in the top 10% for job prospects and living environment.
“They might have larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” commented Phil Hockley, 63. “It’s likely a lot of people in the new builds never even talk to each other.”
The economic gap is clear: an typical three-bedroom house costs about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while on the other side comparable homes go for about £410,000.
Residents speak of a tangible feeling of neglect. “This part of the community gets ignored,” said resident Susan. “In this area our facilities have slowly been taken away, and most of the issues we face here are related to financial hardship.”
The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a picture of an ever more segregated society, where prosperity and deprivation are frequently uncomfortably close neighbours.
