The Growing ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: How Prosperity and Deprivation Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in England.
In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants live in homes only several yards from their wealthier neighbours in nearby Scartho. One six-foot-tall barricade physically divides the two areas in the town of Grimsby, blocking off paths and streets that previously linked them.
“It’s the posh-poor divide,” said a resident, aged 37. “It’s been like this for as long as I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll take it down because I don’t think they’ll want to mix with us.”
A Stark National Picture
Analysis of government statistics reveals how deep disparity can run, at times across little more than a few metres of tarmac, a line of hedges or a wall. Decades of budget cuts and underinvestment mean a majority of councils now contain a neighbourhood classified as one of the poorest in the country.
This geographical widening of deprivation has led to a significant increase in the quantity of places where disadvantaged and well-off residents find themselves living side by side. In 2019, just 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods adjoined one of the least deprived. That figure rose to 119 in the most recent data.
A Barrier Which Divides More Than Space
At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the most pronounced in the UK and starkly obvious. The barrier transcends being just a symbolic division; it causes very real difficulties for daily routines.
- The school commute that ought to take a quarter of an hour turn into an hour-long detour.
- Access to important services like grocery stores, educational facilities and care homes is made more difficult.
- The area often sees vandalism and loitering, with instances of litter being dumped over the wall and related problems.
“People strive to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one resident, gesturing towards the corroded metal wall.
Local Bonds Amidst Challenges
Within a local community centre, staff stress that need does not recognise postcodes. “Where you live is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” said director Tracey Good.
Despite ranking in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe retains a fierce loyalty and sense of community among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, Scartho ranks among the least deprived 10% nationally.
A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford
This pattern is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope area in Kent, a mid-century housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of neighbourhoods in the country. It is immediately adjacent by spacious detached homes built in the early 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and quality of surroundings.
“They might have bigger houses, but here there’s more community,” said Phil Hockley, 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people over there don’t even speak to each other.”
The financial divide is clear: an typical family home sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while on the other side comparable properties go for about £410,000.
Residents speak of a palpable sense of neglect. “This part of the community is neglected,” said resident Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our facilities have slowly been taken away, and most of the issues we face here are to do with financial hardship.”
The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a portrait of an ever more divided society, where prosperity and deprivation are frequently uncomfortably close neighbours.
