A Growing ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: The Way Affluence and Hardship Are Found Cheek by Jowl in England.

In Nunsthorpe, inhabitants occupy properties only several yards from their wealthier neighbours in the adjacent Scartho village. A six-foot-tall wall physically divides the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off paths and streets that previously connected them.

“This is the divide between rich and poor,” remarked Serenity Colley, aged 37. “It’s been like this since I’ve known. I doubt they’ll bring it down because I don’t think they’ll want to mix with us.”

An Increasingly Common National Picture

Analysis of government figures shows the extent of disparity can run, at times across little more than a short distance of tarmac, a line of hedges or a barrier. Years of budget cuts and lack of funding mean almost two-thirds of councils now contain a neighbourhood ranking as one of the most deprived in the country.

This geographical widening of deprivation has led to a significant increase in the number of places where disadvantaged and well-off people end up living side by side. In 2019, just 65 of the poorest areas adjoined one of the wealthiest. This number increased to 119 in the most recent data.

A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Space

At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the biggest in the UK and starkly apparent. The wall is much more than a metaphorical divide; it causes tangible problems for daily routines.

• School runs that should take a quarter of an hour become an sixty-minute journey.
• Access to important services like supermarkets, educational facilities and employment centres is hindered.
• The site often sees antisocial behaviour, with reports of rubbish being thrown over the wall and related issues.

“You try to maintain a nice house and nice garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one resident, gesturing towards the corroded barricade.

Community Spirit Amidst Challenges

Within Centre4, staff emphasise that need transcends postcodes. “Where you live is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” said chief executive a community leader.

Despite ranking in the lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe boasts a strong sense and sense of community among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, the neighbouring area ranks among the least deprived 10% overall.

A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent

This phenomenon is repeated across the country. The Stanhope estate in Ashford, Kent, a mid-century housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in the country. It is immediately adjacent by large houses built in the early 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. “You’ll probably find many people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.”

The financial gap is evident: an average three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide equivalent properties fetch about £410,000.

Locals speak of a tangible sense of neglect. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” said resident Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our facilities have slowly been taken away, and most of the issues we face here are related to poverty.”

The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a picture of an increasingly segregated society, where prosperity and deprivation are often awkwardly close neighbours.