🔗 Share this article A Rising ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: The Way Affluence and Deprivation Now Sit Side by Side in Across England. Within a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, residents live in properties only a few metres from their more affluent neighbours in nearby Scartho. A 1.8-metre-high barricade physically separates the two communities in the town of Grimsby, blocking off paths and streets that previously connected them. “It’s the posh-poor divide,” said a resident, 37. “It’s been like this since I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll take it down because I don’t think they’ll want to associate with us.” A Stark National Picture Data from official statistics shows the extent of disparity often exists, at times across little more than a few metres of asphalt, a hedge row or a barrier. Years of austerity and lack of funding have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of local authorities now have a locality ranking as one of the most deprived in the country. This spread of deprivation has coincided with a sharp increase in the quantity of locations where deprived and well-off residents end up living side by side. Just a few years ago, only 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods bordered one of the least deprived. This number increased to 119 in the latest data. A Wall That Does More Than Separate Space In Grimsby, the gap is the most pronounced in the country and starkly apparent. The barrier transcends being just a metaphorical division; it causes very real difficulties for daily routines. School runs that should take a quarter of an hour turn into an sixty-minute journey. Reaching important amenities like grocery stores, educational facilities and employment centres is made more difficult. The site can attract vandalism and loitering, with reports of rubbish being thrown over the wall and related issues. “People strive to maintain a nice house and nice garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one resident, gesturing towards the rusted metal wall. Community Spirit Against a Backdrop of Hardship Within Centre4, workers stress that support transcends postcodes. “Where you live 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 inhabitants. By contrast, the neighbouring area ranks among the most prosperous 10% nationally. A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent This phenomenon is repeated across the country. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of neighbourhoods in England. It is closely bordered by spacious detached homes built in the 2000s that sit in the top 10% for employment and living environment. “They might have larger properties, but here there’s more community,” commented a long-term resident, 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.” The economic gap is evident: an average three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while on the other side comparable properties go for about £410,000. Locals describe a tangible feeling of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” said holistic health worker Susan. “Over here our facilities have gradually disappeared, and most of the community problems here are to do with poverty.” The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a portrait of an increasingly divided England, where prosperity and need are often awkwardly close neighbours.
Within a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, residents live in properties only a few metres from their more affluent neighbours in nearby Scartho. A 1.8-metre-high barricade physically separates the two communities in the town of Grimsby, blocking off paths and streets that previously connected them. “It’s the posh-poor divide,” said a resident, 37. “It’s been like this since I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll take it down because I don’t think they’ll want to associate with us.” A Stark National Picture Data from official statistics shows the extent of disparity often exists, at times across little more than a few metres of asphalt, a hedge row or a barrier. Years of austerity and lack of funding have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of local authorities now have a locality ranking as one of the most deprived in the country. This spread of deprivation has coincided with a sharp increase in the quantity of locations where deprived and well-off residents end up living side by side. Just a few years ago, only 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods bordered one of the least deprived. This number increased to 119 in the latest data. A Wall That Does More Than Separate Space In Grimsby, the gap is the most pronounced in the country and starkly apparent. The barrier transcends being just a metaphorical division; it causes very real difficulties for daily routines. School runs that should take a quarter of an hour turn into an sixty-minute journey. Reaching important amenities like grocery stores, educational facilities and employment centres is made more difficult. The site can attract vandalism and loitering, with reports of rubbish being thrown over the wall and related issues. “People strive to maintain a nice house and nice garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one resident, gesturing towards the rusted metal wall. Community Spirit Against a Backdrop of Hardship Within Centre4, workers stress that support transcends postcodes. “Where you live 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 inhabitants. By contrast, the neighbouring area ranks among the most prosperous 10% nationally. A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent This phenomenon is repeated across the country. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of neighbourhoods in England. It is closely bordered by spacious detached homes built in the 2000s that sit in the top 10% for employment and living environment. “They might have larger properties, but here there’s more community,” commented a long-term resident, 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.” The economic gap is evident: an average three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while on the other side comparable properties go for about £410,000. Locals describe a tangible feeling of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” said holistic health worker Susan. “Over here our facilities have gradually disappeared, and most of the community problems here are to do with poverty.” The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a portrait of an increasingly divided England, where prosperity and need are often awkwardly close neighbours.