The Rising ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: How Affluence and Deprivation Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in England.
Within Nunsthorpe, residents live in homes just several yards from their wealthier counterparts in nearby Scartho village. A six-foot-tall wall literally separates the two areas in the town of Grimsby, sealing off paths and streets that previously connected them.
“It’s the posh-poor divide,” remarked a resident, aged 37. “It’s been like this for as long as I’ve known. I doubt they’ll bring it down because I suspect they’ll want to associate with us.”
An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country
Analysis of government figures reveals the extent of inequality often exists, sometimes across little more than a few metres of asphalt, a line of hedges or a barrier. Years of budget cuts and underinvestment mean almost two-thirds of local authorities now have a locality ranking as one of the most deprived in the country.
This spread of poverty has coincided with a significant increase in the quantity of locations where deprived and well-off people find themselves living side by side. In 2019, only 65 of the poorest areas adjoined one of the wealthiest. That figure increased to 119 in the most recent data.
A Wall That Does More Than Separate Land
At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the most pronounced in the UK and painfully apparent. The wall is much more than a symbolic division; it creates very real difficulties for daily routines.
- School runs that should take a quarter of an hour turn into an sixty-minute detour.
- Reaching important amenities like supermarkets, schools and employment centres is made more difficult.
- The area can attract antisocial behaviour, with reports of rubbish being dumped over the wall and related problems.
“People strive to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one resident, gesturing towards the rusted metal wall.
Community Spirit Amidst Challenges
At a local community centre, staff stress that need does not recognise addresses. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” said chief executive Tracey Good.
Regardless of ranking in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, the estate boasts a strong sense and feeling of community among its residents. By contrast, the neighbouring area ranks among the least deprived 10% overall.
A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent
This pattern is repeated across the country. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a mid-century housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in the country. It is immediately adjacent by spacious detached homes built in the early 2000s that are in the top 10% for job prospects and living environment.
“They might have bigger houses, but here there’s more community,” said Phil Hockley, 63. “You’ll probably find many people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.”
The financial gap is clear: an average family home costs about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide comparable properties go for about £410,000.
Locals describe a palpable feeling of being overlooked. “This part of the community gets ignored,” stated resident Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our amenities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the community problems here are related to poverty.”
The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a portrait of an ever more divided England, where prosperity and deprivation are often awkwardly close neighbours.
