🔗 Share this article The Growing ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: The Way Prosperity and Hardship Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in Across England. Within Nunsthorpe, inhabitants live in properties just several yards from their wealthier neighbours in nearby Scartho village. A six-foot-tall barricade literally separates the two areas in the town of Grimsby, sealing off roads and walkways that once linked them. “This is the posh-poor divide,” remarked a resident, 37. “It has been there for as long as I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll bring it down because I suspect they’ll want to associate with us.” A Stark Pattern Across the Country Analysis of official figures shows the extent of disparity often exists, sometimes over nothing more than a few metres of tarmac, a line of hedges or a barrier. Years of budget cuts and lack of funding have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of councils now contain a locality ranking as one of the most deprived in the country. This geographical widening of deprivation has coincided with a significant rise in the number of places where deprived and affluent people find themselves living side by side. In 2019, just 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods adjoined one of the least deprived. This number increased to 119 in the latest data. A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Space At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the biggest in the UK and painfully apparent. The barrier is much more than a metaphorical divide; it causes tangible problems for everyday life. School runs that ought to take 15-20 minutes turn into an hour-long detour. Reaching key amenities like supermarkets, schools and care homes is made more difficult. The site often sees vandalism and loitering, with instances of litter being thrown over the wall and related problems. “People strive to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one local, motioning at the rusted barricade. Local Bonds Amidst Challenges At a local community centre, workers emphasise that support transcends addresses. “Where you live is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” explained director Tracey Good. Despite ranking in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, the estate retains a strong sense and feeling of community among its inhabitants. By contrast, Scartho ranks among the least deprived 10% nationally. A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford This phenomenon is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope estate in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of neighbourhoods in England. It is immediately adjacent by large houses built in the early 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and quality of surroundings. “They might have larger properties, but here there’s more community,” commented Phil Hockley, 63. “You’ll probably find many people over there don’t even speak to each other.” The economic divide is evident: an average family home costs about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide comparable properties go for about £410,000. Residents describe a palpable feeling of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” stated resident Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our facilities have slowly been taken away, and the majority of the issues we face here are to do with poverty.” The increase in these ‘inequality borders’ paints a portrait of an increasingly segregated England, where prosperity and deprivation are often awkwardly in close proximity.
Within Nunsthorpe, inhabitants live in properties just several yards from their wealthier neighbours in nearby Scartho village. A six-foot-tall barricade literally separates the two areas in the town of Grimsby, sealing off roads and walkways that once linked them. “This is the posh-poor divide,” remarked a resident, 37. “It has been there for as long as I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll bring it down because I suspect they’ll want to associate with us.” A Stark Pattern Across the Country Analysis of official figures shows the extent of disparity often exists, sometimes over nothing more than a few metres of tarmac, a line of hedges or a barrier. Years of budget cuts and lack of funding have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of councils now contain a locality ranking as one of the most deprived in the country. This geographical widening of deprivation has coincided with a significant rise in the number of places where deprived and affluent people find themselves living side by side. In 2019, just 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods adjoined one of the least deprived. This number increased to 119 in the latest data. A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Space At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the biggest in the UK and painfully apparent. The barrier is much more than a metaphorical divide; it causes tangible problems for everyday life. School runs that ought to take 15-20 minutes turn into an hour-long detour. Reaching key amenities like supermarkets, schools and care homes is made more difficult. The site often sees vandalism and loitering, with instances of litter being thrown over the wall and related problems. “People strive to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one local, motioning at the rusted barricade. Local Bonds Amidst Challenges At a local community centre, workers emphasise that support transcends addresses. “Where you live is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” explained director Tracey Good. Despite ranking in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, the estate retains a strong sense and feeling of community among its inhabitants. By contrast, Scartho ranks among the least deprived 10% nationally. A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford This phenomenon is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope estate in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of neighbourhoods in England. It is immediately adjacent by large houses built in the early 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and quality of surroundings. “They might have larger properties, but here there’s more community,” commented Phil Hockley, 63. “You’ll probably find many people over there don’t even speak to each other.” The economic divide is evident: an average family home costs about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide comparable properties go for about £410,000. Residents describe a palpable feeling of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” stated resident Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our facilities have slowly been taken away, and the majority of the issues we face here are to do with poverty.” The increase in these ‘inequality borders’ paints a portrait of an increasingly segregated England, where prosperity and deprivation are often awkwardly in close proximity.