The Rising ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Affluence and Hardship Are Found Side by Side in England.
In Nunsthorpe, inhabitants occupy homes just several yards from their wealthier neighbours in the adjacent Scartho. One 1.8-metre-high wall physically divides the two areas in the town of Grimsby, blocking off roads and walkways that previously linked them.
“This is the divide between rich and poor,” said a resident, aged 37. “It’s been like this since I’ve known. I doubt they’ll bring it down because I suspect they’ll want to mix with us.”
A Stark Pattern Across the Country
Analysis of official statistics reveals the extent of inequality can run, at times across little more than a few metres of tarmac, a line of hedges or a wall. Decades of austerity and lack of funding have led to a situation where a majority of local authorities now contain a locality classified as one of the most deprived in the nation.
This spread of poverty has led to a significant increase in the quantity of locations where disadvantaged and affluent residents end up as immediate neighbours. Just a few years ago, only 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods bordered one of the wealthiest. This number increased to 119 in the most recent data.
A Wall That Divides More Than Space
At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the biggest in the UK and painfully obvious. The barrier is much more than a metaphorical divide; it creates tangible problems for everyday life.
- School runs that ought to take a quarter of an hour turn into an hour-long journey.
- Reaching important services like supermarkets, schools and care homes is hindered.
- The site can attract antisocial behaviour, with instances of litter being dumped over the wall and related issues.
“People strive to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” noted one resident, motioning at the corroded metal wall.
Local Bonds Amidst Challenges
At a local community centre, workers 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 lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe retains a fierce loyalty and sense of community among its inhabitants. By contrast, the neighbouring area is classified among the most prosperous 10% nationally.
A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent
This pattern is mirrored nationally. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in the country. It is closely bordered by spacious detached homes built in the early 2000s that sit in the top 10% for job prospects and quality of surroundings.
“They might have bigger houses, but here there’s more community,” said a long-term resident, aged 63. “You’ll probably find many people over there don’t even speak to each other.”
The financial divide is evident: an typical three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while on the other side equivalent homes fetch about £410,000.
Locals speak of a palpable feeling of neglect. “This part of the community gets ignored,” said holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our facilities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the issues we face here are related to financial hardship.”
The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a portrait of an increasingly divided England, where prosperity and deprivation are frequently awkwardly in close proximity.
