A Rising ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: The Way Affluence and Deprivation Are Found Side by Side in Across England.
In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants live in homes only several yards from their more affluent neighbours in nearby Scartho village. One six-foot-tall barricade physically divides the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off roads and walkways that previously connected them.
“This is the divide between rich and poor,” remarked Serenity Colley, 37. “It’s been like this 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 National Picture
Data from government statistics shows the extent of disparity can run, sometimes over little more than a few metres of asphalt, a line of hedges or a barrier. Years of budget cuts and underinvestment mean a majority of local authorities now contain a neighbourhood ranking as one of the poorest in the country.
This geographical widening of deprivation has coincided with a significant rise in the number of locations where disadvantaged and well-off residents find themselves living side by side. In 2019, only 65 of the poorest areas bordered one of the wealthiest. That figure rose to 119 in the latest data.
A Wall That Divides More Than Land
At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the biggest in the country and painfully apparent. The barrier transcends being just a metaphorical division; it creates very real problems for everyday life.
- The school commute that should take 15-20 minutes turn into an sixty-minute detour.
- Reaching important services like supermarkets, educational facilities and employment centres is made more difficult.
- The area often sees antisocial behaviour, with instances of litter being thrown over the wall and other problems.
“You try to have a nice house and nice garden, and then you reside facing that,” noted one resident, motioning at the rusted barricade.
Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Hardship
Within a local community centre, workers emphasise that need does not recognise postcodes. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” said chief executive Tracey Good.
Despite ranking in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe boasts a fierce loyalty and feeling of community among its residents. By contrast, Scartho ranks among the least deprived 10% overall.
A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent
This pattern is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of neighbourhoods in England. It is immediately adjacent by spacious detached homes built in the early 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for employment and living environment.
“They might have bigger houses, but here there’s more community,” said a long-term resident, 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people over there never even talk to each other.”
The economic divide is clear: an typical three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while on the other side equivalent properties fetch about £410,000.
Locals speak of a palpable feeling of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” said resident Susan. “Over here our facilities have slowly been taken away, and most of the issues we face here are to do with financial hardship.”
The increase in these ‘inequality borders’ presents a portrait of an ever more segregated England, where wealth and deprivation are often awkwardly in close proximity.
