🔗 Share this article The Rising ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: The Way Affluence and Deprivation Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in England. In Nunsthorpe, residents live in properties only several yards from their more affluent neighbours in nearby Scartho. One 1.8-metre-high barricade literally divides the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off paths and streets that previously linked them. “It’s the divide between rich and poor,” said Serenity Colley, aged 37. “It has been there since I’ve known. I doubt they’ll bring it down because I suspect they’ll want to mix with us.” An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country Data from government figures reveals the extent of inequality often exists, sometimes over little more than a short distance of asphalt, a line of hedges or a wall. Years of austerity and lack of funding mean a majority of councils now have a neighbourhood classified as one of the poorest in the country. This geographical widening of deprivation has coincided with a sharp increase in the quantity of places where disadvantaged and affluent people find themselves as immediate neighbours. Just a few years ago, only 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods adjoined one of the least deprived. That figure increased to 119 in the latest data. A Wall That Divides More Than Space In Grimsby, the divide is the biggest in the country and painfully obvious. The wall transcends being just a symbolic division; it causes very real problems for everyday life. School runs that should take 15-20 minutes become an hour-long journey. Reaching important services like grocery stores, schools and care homes is hindered. The area can attract antisocial behaviour, with reports of litter being dumped over the wall and other problems. “You try to have a nice house and nice garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one local, motioning at the rusted barricade. Community Spirit Amidst Hardship At Centre4, staff stress that need does not recognise addresses. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” explained director Tracey Good. Regardless of being placed in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe retains a strong sense and feeling of togetherness among its residents. Meanwhile, Scartho is classified among the most prosperous 10% overall. A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent This phenomenon is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope area in Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in the country. It is closely bordered by large houses built in the 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for employment and quality of surroundings. “They may possess bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” commented a long-term resident, 63. “It’s likely many people in the new builds never even talk to each other.” The economic divide is evident: an typical family home costs about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide comparable homes fetch about £410,000. Locals speak of a palpable feeling of neglect. “This part of the community is neglected,” stated holistic health worker Susan. “In this area our facilities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the community problems here are to do with poverty.” The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a picture of an ever more divided England, where wealth and need are frequently awkwardly close neighbours.
In Nunsthorpe, residents live in properties only several yards from their more affluent neighbours in nearby Scartho. One 1.8-metre-high barricade literally divides the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off paths and streets that previously linked them. “It’s the divide between rich and poor,” said Serenity Colley, aged 37. “It has been there since I’ve known. I doubt they’ll bring it down because I suspect they’ll want to mix with us.” An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country Data from government figures reveals the extent of inequality often exists, sometimes over little more than a short distance of asphalt, a line of hedges or a wall. Years of austerity and lack of funding mean a majority of councils now have a neighbourhood classified as one of the poorest in the country. This geographical widening of deprivation has coincided with a sharp increase in the quantity of places where disadvantaged and affluent people find themselves as immediate neighbours. Just a few years ago, only 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods adjoined one of the least deprived. That figure increased to 119 in the latest data. A Wall That Divides More Than Space In Grimsby, the divide is the biggest in the country and painfully obvious. The wall transcends being just a symbolic division; it causes very real problems for everyday life. School runs that should take 15-20 minutes become an hour-long journey. Reaching important services like grocery stores, schools and care homes is hindered. The area can attract antisocial behaviour, with reports of litter being dumped over the wall and other problems. “You try to have a nice house and nice garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one local, motioning at the rusted barricade. Community Spirit Amidst Hardship At Centre4, staff stress that need does not recognise addresses. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” explained director Tracey Good. Regardless of being placed in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe retains a strong sense and feeling of togetherness among its residents. Meanwhile, Scartho is classified among the most prosperous 10% overall. A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent This phenomenon is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope area in Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in the country. It is closely bordered by large houses built in the 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for employment and quality of surroundings. “They may possess bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” commented a long-term resident, 63. “It’s likely many people in the new builds never even talk to each other.” The economic divide is evident: an typical family home costs about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide comparable homes fetch about £410,000. Locals speak of a palpable feeling of neglect. “This part of the community is neglected,” stated holistic health worker Susan. “In this area our facilities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the community problems here are to do with poverty.” The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a picture of an ever more divided England, where wealth and need are frequently awkwardly close neighbours.