🔗 Share this article The Rising ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Prosperity and Deprivation Are Found Cheek by Jowl in England. Within a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants occupy homes only several yards from their more affluent neighbours in the adjacent Scartho. One six-foot-tall wall physically divides the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off paths and streets that once connected them. “This is the divide between rich and poor,” said a resident, aged 37. “It’s been like this for as long as I’ve known. I doubt they’ll take it down because I suspect they’ll want to associate with us.” An Increasingly Common National Picture Analysis of government statistics shows how deep inequality can run, sometimes across little more than a short distance of asphalt, a hedge row or a barrier. Decades of austerity and underinvestment have led to a situation where a majority of councils now contain a neighbourhood classified as one of the poorest in the nation. This geographical widening of deprivation has coincided with a significant rise in the number of places where deprived and well-off people find themselves as immediate neighbours. Just a few years ago, just 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods adjoined one of the wealthiest. This number increased to 119 in the latest data. A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Land At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the most pronounced in the UK and painfully apparent. The wall is much more than a metaphorical divide; it creates tangible problems for daily routines. The school commute that ought to take a quarter of an hour turn into an hour-long journey. Reaching key services like grocery stores, schools and employment centres is made more difficult. The area can attract vandalism and loitering, with reports of litter being thrown over the wall and other issues. “People strive to maintain a nice house and nice garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one local, motioning at the rusted metal wall. Community Spirit Against a Backdrop of Challenges Within a local community centre, staff emphasise that need transcends postcodes. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” said chief executive a community leader. Regardless of being placed in the lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate retains a fierce loyalty and feeling of togetherness among its residents. By contrast, Scartho ranks among the least deprived 10% nationally. A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent This pattern is mirrored nationally. The Stanhope estate in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the 10% most deprived of neighbourhoods in the country. It is closely bordered by large detached homes built in the early 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for employment and quality of surroundings. “They might have larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” commented Phil Hockley, aged 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people over there never even talk to each other.” The financial gap is clear: an typical family home sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while on the other side equivalent homes fetch about £410,000. Residents describe a tangible sense of neglect. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” stated holistic health worker Susan. “In this area our facilities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the issues we face here are to do with financial hardship.” The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a picture of an increasingly divided society, where wealth and deprivation are frequently awkwardly in close proximity.
Within a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants occupy homes only several yards from their more affluent neighbours in the adjacent Scartho. One six-foot-tall wall physically divides the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off paths and streets that once connected them. “This is the divide between rich and poor,” said a resident, aged 37. “It’s been like this for as long as I’ve known. I doubt they’ll take it down because I suspect they’ll want to associate with us.” An Increasingly Common National Picture Analysis of government statistics shows how deep inequality can run, sometimes across little more than a short distance of asphalt, a hedge row or a barrier. Decades of austerity and underinvestment have led to a situation where a majority of councils now contain a neighbourhood classified as one of the poorest in the nation. This geographical widening of deprivation has coincided with a significant rise in the number of places where deprived and well-off people find themselves as immediate neighbours. Just a few years ago, just 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods adjoined one of the wealthiest. This number increased to 119 in the latest data. A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Land At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the most pronounced in the UK and painfully apparent. The wall is much more than a metaphorical divide; it creates tangible problems for daily routines. The school commute that ought to take a quarter of an hour turn into an hour-long journey. Reaching key services like grocery stores, schools and employment centres is made more difficult. The area can attract vandalism and loitering, with reports of litter being thrown over the wall and other issues. “People strive to maintain a nice house and nice garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one local, motioning at the rusted metal wall. Community Spirit Against a Backdrop of Challenges Within a local community centre, staff emphasise that need transcends postcodes. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” said chief executive a community leader. Regardless of being placed in the lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate retains a fierce loyalty and feeling of togetherness among its residents. By contrast, Scartho ranks among the least deprived 10% nationally. A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent This pattern is mirrored nationally. The Stanhope estate in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the 10% most deprived of neighbourhoods in the country. It is closely bordered by large detached homes built in the early 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for employment and quality of surroundings. “They might have larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” commented Phil Hockley, aged 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people over there never even talk to each other.” The financial gap is clear: an typical family home sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while on the other side equivalent homes fetch about £410,000. Residents describe a tangible sense of neglect. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” stated holistic health worker Susan. “In this area our facilities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the issues we face here are to do with financial hardship.” The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a picture of an increasingly divided society, where wealth and deprivation are frequently awkwardly in close proximity.