A Growing ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: The Way Affluence and Deprivation Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in Across England.
Within a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants live in homes just several yards from their wealthier neighbours in nearby Scartho village. A 1.8-metre-high barricade literally separates the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off roads and walkways that once connected them.
“This is the divide between rich and poor,” said a resident, 37. “It’s been like this for as long as I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll bring it down because I suspect they’ll want to associate with us.”
An Increasingly Common National Picture
Analysis of official figures reveals how deep disparity often exists, at times over little more than a few metres of asphalt, a hedge row or a wall. Years of budget cuts and underinvestment have led to a situation where a majority of councils now have a locality classified as one of the most deprived in the nation.
The spread of poverty has led to a sharp rise in the number of places where disadvantaged and affluent residents end up living side by side. In 2019, only 65 of the most deprived areas adjoined one of the wealthiest. That figure increased to 119 in the latest data.
A Wall That Does More Than Separate Space
At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the biggest in the country and painfully obvious. The barrier is much more than a symbolic divide; it creates tangible difficulties for everyday life.
- The school commute that ought to take a quarter of an hour turn into an sixty-minute journey.
- Access to key services like grocery stores, educational facilities and care homes is hindered.
- The site can attract vandalism and loitering, with instances of rubbish being thrown over the wall and related issues.
“People strive to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one resident, gesturing towards the rusted barricade.
Community Spirit Against a Backdrop of Challenges
At a local community centre, workers emphasise that need transcends addresses. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” explained director Tracey Good.
Regardless of ranking in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe retains a strong sense and feeling of togetherness among its residents. By contrast, the neighbouring area ranks among the least deprived 10% nationally.
A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford
This phenomenon is repeated across the country. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in England. It is closely bordered by large houses built in the 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for employment and quality of surroundings.
“They might have larger properties, but here there’s more community,” commented a long-term resident, aged 63. “It’s likely a lot of people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.”
The economic divide is clear: an average family home costs about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while on the other side comparable homes fetch about £410,000.
Locals describe a tangible feeling of neglect. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” said holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our amenities have slowly been taken away, and the majority of the community problems here are to do with poverty.”
The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a portrait of an ever more segregated England, where prosperity and deprivation are often awkwardly in close proximity.
