The Growing ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: How Affluence and Deprivation Now Sit Side by Side in Across England.
Within a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants live in homes just several yards from their wealthier neighbours in the adjacent Scartho village. One 1.8-metre-high barricade literally divides the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off paths and streets that once connected them.
“It’s the posh-poor divide,” said Serenity Colley, aged 37. “It has been there since I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll bring it down because I don’t think they’ll want to associate with us.”
An Increasingly Common National Picture
Data from official figures reveals how deep disparity often exists, sometimes across nothing more than a few metres of tarmac, a line of hedges or a barrier. Decades of budget cuts and lack of funding mean a majority of councils now contain a locality classified as one of the poorest in the nation.
The spread of poverty has led to a significant rise in the number of locations where deprived and affluent residents find themselves living side by side. In 2019, just 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods adjoined one of the least deprived. That figure increased to 119 in the latest data.
A Barrier Which Divides More Than Land
In Grimsby, the gap is the biggest in the UK and starkly obvious. The wall transcends being just a metaphorical divide; it causes very real difficulties for daily routines.
- School runs that should take 15-20 minutes become an hour-long detour.
- Reaching important services like grocery stores, schools and employment centres is hindered.
- The area often sees antisocial behaviour, with instances of litter being thrown over the wall and related problems.
“You try to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one local, motioning at the rusted metal wall.
Community Spirit Amidst Hardship
At a local community centre, workers stress that need does not recognise postcodes. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” said director a community leader.
Regardless of ranking in the lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate retains a strong sense and feeling of community among its residents. Meanwhile, Scartho is classified among the most prosperous 10% nationally.
A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent
This phenomenon is repeated across the country. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a mid-century housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in the country. It is immediately adjacent by large detached homes built in the 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and living environment.
“They may possess larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” said Phil Hockley, 63. “It’s likely a lot of people over there don’t even speak to each other.”
The economic gap is clear: an average family home costs about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while on the other side equivalent homes fetch about £410,000.
Residents speak of a palpable sense of neglect. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” said holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our amenities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the issues we face here are related to poverty.”
The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a portrait of an increasingly segregated England, where prosperity and deprivation are often awkwardly in close proximity.
