🔗 Share this article The Growing ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Affluence and Deprivation Are Found Cheek by Jowl in Across England. In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants occupy homes only a few metres from their more affluent counterparts in nearby Scartho. A 1.8-metre-high wall literally divides the two areas in the town of Grimsby, sealing off roads and walkways that previously connected them. “It’s the divide between rich and poor,” remarked a resident, aged 37. “It’s been like this since I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll bring it down because I suspect they’ll want to mix with us.” A Stark National Picture Data from government figures reveals how deep inequality often exists, sometimes across nothing more than a short distance of asphalt, a hedge row or a wall. Decades of austerity and lack of funding mean a majority of councils now contain a locality classified as one of the poorest in the country. The spread of deprivation has coincided with a significant rise in the quantity of locations where deprived and affluent people end up as immediate neighbours. In 2019, only 65 of the poorest areas bordered one of the least deprived. 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 country and starkly obvious. The wall is much more than a metaphorical division; it causes tangible problems for everyday life. School runs that should take a quarter of an hour become an sixty-minute journey. Access to important amenities like grocery stores, schools and employment centres is hindered. The site often sees antisocial behaviour, with instances of rubbish being dumped over the wall and other issues. “People strive to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one local, motioning at the corroded barricade. Community Spirit Against a Backdrop of Challenges Within a local community centre, workers emphasise that support does not recognise addresses. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” said director Tracey Good. Regardless of being placed in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe retains a fierce loyalty and sense of community among its inhabitants. By contrast, the neighbouring area ranks among the least deprived 10% nationally. A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford This phenomenon is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope estate in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in the country. It is closely bordered by spacious houses built in the early 2000s that are in the top 10% for job prospects and living environment. “They may possess bigger houses, but here there’s more community,” commented Phil Hockley, 63. “It’s likely a lot of people over there never even talk to each other.” The economic divide is clear: an average three-bedroom house costs about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide equivalent homes fetch about £410,000. Residents describe a tangible feeling of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” said holistic health worker Susan. “In this area our facilities have slowly been taken away, and most of the issues we face here are to do with financial hardship.” The increase in these ‘inequality borders’ presents a picture of an ever more segregated society, where wealth and need are frequently awkwardly close neighbours.
In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants occupy homes only a few metres from their more affluent counterparts in nearby Scartho. A 1.8-metre-high wall literally divides the two areas in the town of Grimsby, sealing off roads and walkways that previously connected them. “It’s the divide between rich and poor,” remarked a resident, aged 37. “It’s been like this since I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll bring it down because I suspect they’ll want to mix with us.” A Stark National Picture Data from government figures reveals how deep inequality often exists, sometimes across nothing more than a short distance of asphalt, a hedge row or a wall. Decades of austerity and lack of funding mean a majority of councils now contain a locality classified as one of the poorest in the country. The spread of deprivation has coincided with a significant rise in the quantity of locations where deprived and affluent people end up as immediate neighbours. In 2019, only 65 of the poorest areas bordered one of the least deprived. 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 country and starkly obvious. The wall is much more than a metaphorical division; it causes tangible problems for everyday life. School runs that should take a quarter of an hour become an sixty-minute journey. Access to important amenities like grocery stores, schools and employment centres is hindered. The site often sees antisocial behaviour, with instances of rubbish being dumped over the wall and other issues. “People strive to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one local, motioning at the corroded barricade. Community Spirit Against a Backdrop of Challenges Within a local community centre, workers emphasise that support does not recognise addresses. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” said director Tracey Good. Regardless of being placed in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe retains a fierce loyalty and sense of community among its inhabitants. By contrast, the neighbouring area ranks among the least deprived 10% nationally. A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford This phenomenon is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope estate in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in the country. It is closely bordered by spacious houses built in the early 2000s that are in the top 10% for job prospects and living environment. “They may possess bigger houses, but here there’s more community,” commented Phil Hockley, 63. “It’s likely a lot of people over there never even talk to each other.” The economic divide is clear: an average three-bedroom house costs about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide equivalent homes fetch about £410,000. Residents describe a tangible feeling of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” said holistic health worker Susan. “In this area our facilities have slowly been taken away, and most of the issues we face here are to do with financial hardship.” The increase in these ‘inequality borders’ presents a picture of an ever more segregated society, where wealth and need are frequently awkwardly close neighbours.