A Rising ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Prosperity and Deprivation Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in England.
Within Nunsthorpe, residents occupy properties only several yards from their wealthier neighbours in nearby Scartho village. A 1.8-metre-high barricade literally separates the two areas in the town of Grimsby, blocking off roads and walkways that once linked them.
“It’s the divide between rich and poor,” said a resident, 37. “It has been there for as long as I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll bring it down because I don’t think they’ll want to mix with us.”
A Stark National Picture
Data from official statistics shows the extent of inequality can run, sometimes across nothing more than a short distance of tarmac, a hedge row or a barrier. Decades of budget cuts and lack of funding mean a majority of local authorities now have a locality classified as one of the most deprived in the nation.
The spread of deprivation has led to a significant rise in the quantity of places where disadvantaged and well-off residents find themselves as immediate neighbours. In 2019, only 65 of the poorest areas bordered one of the wealthiest. That figure increased to 119 in the latest data.
A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Land
In Grimsby, the divide is the most pronounced in the country and starkly apparent. The wall is much more than a metaphorical divide; it causes very real problems for daily routines.
- The school commute that ought to take 15-20 minutes turn into an sixty-minute detour.
- Reaching key amenities like supermarkets, educational facilities and care homes is made more difficult.
- The site often sees vandalism and loitering, with instances of rubbish being dumped over the wall and other issues.
“You try to maintain a nice house and nice garden, and then you reside facing that,” noted one local, motioning at the corroded metal wall.
Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Challenges
At Centre4, workers stress that need does not recognise addresses. “Where you live is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” said director Tracey Good.
Despite ranking in the lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe retains a fierce loyalty and sense of togetherness among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, Scartho is classified among the least deprived 10% nationally.
A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford
This pattern is mirrored nationally. The Stanhope area in Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the 10% most deprived of neighbourhoods in England. It is immediately adjacent by large houses built in the 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and quality of surroundings.
“They might have bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” said Phil Hockley, aged 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people in the new builds never even talk to each other.”
The financial divide is evident: an typical family home costs about £275,000 on the estate, while on the other side comparable homes go for about £410,000.
Residents speak of a palpable feeling of neglect. “This part of the community gets ignored,” said holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our amenities have slowly been taken away, and the majority of the issues we face here are related to financial hardship.”
The increase in these ‘inequality borders’ paints a picture of an ever more divided society, where wealth and need are often awkwardly close neighbours.