A Rising ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: The Way Affluence and Deprivation Are Found Side by Side in England.

Within Nunsthorpe, inhabitants live in homes just several yards from their more affluent counterparts in nearby Scartho. A 1.8-metre-high wall physically separates the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off roads and walkways that once linked them.

“It’s the posh-poor divide,” remarked a resident, aged 37. “It has been there since I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll take it down because I suspect they’ll want to mix with us.”

An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country

Analysis of official statistics reveals the extent of inequality often exists, at times across little more than a few metres of asphalt, a hedge row or a wall. Years of austerity and lack of funding mean almost two-thirds of local authorities now have a locality classified as one of the poorest in the country.

This geographical widening of poverty has led to a sharp rise in the quantity of places where deprived and affluent people find themselves living side by side. In 2019, only 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods bordered one of the wealthiest. That figure increased to 119 in the most recent data.

A Wall That Does More Than Separate Land

In Grimsby, the divide is the most pronounced in the UK and painfully obvious. The barrier transcends being just a symbolic division; it causes very real difficulties for everyday life.

• School runs that ought to take a quarter of an hour become an hour-long journey.
• Reaching important services like supermarkets, schools and employment centres is made more difficult.
• The site often sees vandalism and loitering, with reports of litter being thrown over the wall and other issues.

“People strive to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one resident, gesturing towards the corroded metal wall.

Local Bonds Amidst Hardship

At a local community centre, staff emphasise that support does not recognise postcodes. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” said chief executive a community leader.

Despite being placed in the lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe retains a strong sense and sense of community among its residents. Meanwhile, Scartho is classified among the most prosperous 10% overall.

A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford

This pattern is repeated nationally. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a mid-century housing development, is in the 10% most deprived of neighbourhoods in the country. It is closely bordered by spacious houses built in the 2000s that sit in the top 10% for employment and quality of surroundings.

“They may possess bigger houses, but here there’s more community,” commented a long-term resident, 63. “It’s likely a lot of people in the new builds never even talk to each other.”

The financial divide is clear: an average three-bedroom house costs about £275,000 on the estate, while on the other side equivalent properties fetch about £410,000.

Residents describe a tangible feeling of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” said resident Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our amenities have slowly been taken away, and most of the community problems here are related to poverty.”

The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a picture of an ever more divided society, where prosperity and deprivation are frequently uncomfortably in close proximity.