🔗 Share this article A Rising ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Affluence and Deprivation Are Found Side by Side in England. Within Nunsthorpe, inhabitants occupy homes just several yards from their more affluent counterparts in nearby Scartho. One six-foot-tall wall literally separates the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off paths and streets that previously connected them. “It’s the divide between rich and poor,” remarked Serenity Colley, 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 associate with us.” An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country Analysis of official figures reveals how deep disparity often exists, sometimes over little more than a short distance of tarmac, a line of hedges or a barrier. Years of budget cuts and underinvestment mean a majority of local authorities now have a neighbourhood classified as one of the poorest in the country. The geographical widening of poverty has coincided with a sharp rise in the number of places where deprived and affluent residents find themselves living side by side. In 2019, just 65 of the most deprived areas bordered one of the wealthiest. That figure rose to 119 in the latest data. A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Space At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the most pronounced in the UK and starkly apparent. The wall is much more than a symbolic division; it creates tangible problems for everyday life. School runs that ought to take 15-20 minutes become an sixty-minute journey. Access to important services like supermarkets, schools and care homes is hindered. The site often sees antisocial behaviour, with instances of rubbish being dumped over the wall and related problems. “People strive to have a nice house and nice garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one resident, motioning at the corroded metal wall. Community Spirit Amidst Hardship At a local community centre, workers stress that need does not recognise addresses. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” said director a community leader. Regardless of being placed in the lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate boasts a strong sense and sense of togetherness among its inhabitants. By contrast, Scartho is classified among the most prosperous 10% overall. Echoes Elsewhere: An Estate in Kent This phenomenon is repeated nationally. The Stanhope area in Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in England. It is closely bordered by large houses built in the early 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for employment and living environment. “They may possess larger properties, but here there’s more community,” commented Phil Hockley, 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.” The financial divide is clear: an average family home costs about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide equivalent properties go for about £410,000. Residents speak of a tangible sense of neglect. “This part of the community is neglected,” said holistic health worker Susan. “Over here our facilities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the community problems here are related to financial hardship.” The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a portrait of an increasingly segregated England, where prosperity and deprivation are often awkwardly in close proximity.
Within Nunsthorpe, inhabitants occupy homes just several yards from their more affluent counterparts in nearby Scartho. One six-foot-tall wall literally separates the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off paths and streets that previously connected them. “It’s the divide between rich and poor,” remarked Serenity Colley, 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 associate with us.” An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country Analysis of official figures reveals how deep disparity often exists, sometimes over little more than a short distance of tarmac, a line of hedges or a barrier. Years of budget cuts and underinvestment mean a majority of local authorities now have a neighbourhood classified as one of the poorest in the country. The geographical widening of poverty has coincided with a sharp rise in the number of places where deprived and affluent residents find themselves living side by side. In 2019, just 65 of the most deprived areas bordered one of the wealthiest. That figure rose to 119 in the latest data. A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Space At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the most pronounced in the UK and starkly apparent. The wall is much more than a symbolic division; it creates tangible problems for everyday life. School runs that ought to take 15-20 minutes become an sixty-minute journey. Access to important services like supermarkets, schools and care homes is hindered. The site often sees antisocial behaviour, with instances of rubbish being dumped over the wall and related problems. “People strive to have a nice house and nice garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one resident, motioning at the corroded metal wall. Community Spirit Amidst Hardship At a local community centre, workers stress that need does not recognise addresses. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” said director a community leader. Regardless of being placed in the lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate boasts a strong sense and sense of togetherness among its inhabitants. By contrast, Scartho is classified among the most prosperous 10% overall. Echoes Elsewhere: An Estate in Kent This phenomenon is repeated nationally. The Stanhope area in Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in England. It is closely bordered by large houses built in the early 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for employment and living environment. “They may possess larger properties, but here there’s more community,” commented Phil Hockley, 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.” The financial divide is clear: an average family home costs about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide equivalent properties go for about £410,000. Residents speak of a tangible sense of neglect. “This part of the community is neglected,” said holistic health worker Susan. “Over here our facilities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the community problems here are related to financial hardship.” The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a portrait of an increasingly segregated England, where prosperity and deprivation are often awkwardly in close proximity.