A Rising ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: How Prosperity and Hardship Are Found Cheek by Jowl in England.
In Nunsthorpe, inhabitants occupy homes just a few metres from their more affluent neighbours in nearby Scartho. One 1.8-metre-high wall literally separates the two areas in the town of Grimsby, sealing off roads and walkways that previously linked them.
“This is the posh-poor divide,” remarked a resident, 37. “It’s been like this since I’ve known. I doubt they’ll take it down because I suspect 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 nothing more than a short distance of asphalt, a hedge row or a wall. Decades of austerity and lack of funding have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of councils now have a locality classified as one of the most deprived in the nation.
This spread of poverty has coincided with a significant rise in the quantity of places where disadvantaged and affluent residents find themselves living side by side. Just a few years ago, only 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods adjoined one of the least deprived. That figure increased to 119 in the most recent data.
A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Land
At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the biggest in the UK and painfully apparent. The wall is much more than a metaphorical divide; it causes tangible problems for daily routines.
- The school commute that ought to take 15-20 minutes turn into an hour-long detour.
- Access to important services like supermarkets, schools and care homes is hindered.
- The area can attract vandalism and loitering, with instances of litter being thrown over the wall and related problems.
“You try to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one local, motioning at the corroded metal wall.
Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Challenges
At a local community centre, workers emphasise that support transcends addresses. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” said director a community leader.
Regardless of ranking in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe boasts a strong sense and feeling of togetherness among its residents. Meanwhile, the neighbouring area ranks among the least deprived 10% nationally.
Echoes Elsewhere: Stanhope in Ashford
This pattern is mirrored nationally. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of neighbourhoods in the country. It is immediately adjacent by large detached homes built in the 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for employment and quality of surroundings.
“They may possess bigger houses, but here there’s more community,” said a long-term resident, 63. “It’s likely a lot of people in the new builds never even talk to each other.”
The economic gap is clear: an typical family home sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide comparable homes go for about £410,000.
Residents describe a tangible feeling of neglect. “This part of the community is neglected,” stated resident Susan. “In this area our amenities have slowly been taken away, and most of the community problems here are related to poverty.”
The rise in these ‘inequality borders’ presents a picture of an increasingly segregated England, where prosperity and deprivation are often uncomfortably close neighbours.
