The Rising ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: How Prosperity and Hardship Are Found Side by Side in Across England.
In Nunsthorpe, inhabitants live in properties only a few metres from their wealthier neighbours in the adjacent Scartho. A six-foot-tall barricade physically divides the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off roads and walkways that previously linked them.
“This is the posh-poor divide,” remarked Serenity Colley, aged 37. “It’s been like this since I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll bring it down because I don’t think they’ll want to associate with us.”
An Increasingly Common National Picture
Data from official figures shows how deep disparity often exists, at times across little more than a few metres of tarmac, a line of hedges or a barrier. Decades of austerity and underinvestment have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of councils now contain a neighbourhood classified as one of the poorest in the nation.
This spread of deprivation has coincided with a sharp increase in the number of places where disadvantaged and affluent people find themselves as immediate neighbours. Just a few years ago, just 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods adjoined one of the least deprived. This number increased to 119 in the most recent data.
A Wall That Does More Than Separate Space
In Grimsby, the divide is the biggest in the UK and painfully apparent. The wall transcends being just a metaphorical divide; it creates tangible difficulties for everyday life.
- School runs that ought to take 15-20 minutes turn into an hour-long detour.
- Access to important services like grocery stores, schools and employment centres is hindered.
- The site can attract vandalism and loitering, with reports of rubbish being thrown over the wall and related problems.
“You try to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” noted one local, gesturing towards the corroded metal wall.
Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Challenges
Within Centre4, workers emphasise that need transcends postcodes. “Where you live is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” explained chief executive a community leader.
Despite ranking in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, the estate boasts a fierce loyalty and sense of togetherness among its residents. By contrast, Scartho ranks among the most prosperous 10% overall.
Echoes Elsewhere: Stanhope in Ashford
This phenomenon is mirrored nationally. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the 10% most deprived of neighbourhoods in the country. It is immediately adjacent by large detached homes built in the early 2000s that are in the top 10% for job prospects and living environment.
“They may possess larger properties, but here there’s more community,” said a long-term resident, aged 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people over there never even talk to each other.”
The economic divide is evident: an average family home sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide comparable homes go for about £410,000.
Residents speak of a tangible sense of neglect. “This part of the community is neglected,” stated resident Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our amenities have gradually disappeared, and most of the issues we face here are to do with financial hardship.”
The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a picture of an increasingly segregated society, where wealth and deprivation are frequently awkwardly close neighbours.
