A Growing ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: The Way Prosperity and Deprivation Are Found Side by Side in England.
Within Nunsthorpe, inhabitants live in homes only a few metres from their wealthier neighbours in the adjacent Scartho. One six-foot-tall wall physically separates the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off roads and walkways that previously connected them.
“This is the posh-poor divide,” remarked Serenity Colley, aged 37. “It’s been like this since I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll take it down because I don’t think they’ll want to associate with us.”
A Stark Pattern Across the Country
Analysis of government statistics reveals how deep inequality can run, at times over nothing more than a few metres of asphalt, a hedge row or a barrier. Years of budget cuts and lack of funding mean almost two-thirds of councils now contain a locality classified as one of the poorest in the nation.
This spread of poverty has led to a sharp increase in the quantity of places where deprived and well-off people end up living side by side. Just a few years ago, 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 Land
In Grimsby, the gap is the most pronounced in the UK and painfully apparent. The wall transcends being just a metaphorical divide; it causes very real problems for everyday life.
- School runs that should take 15-20 minutes turn into an sixty-minute detour.
- Reaching important services like grocery stores, schools and employment centres is hindered.
- The area often sees vandalism and loitering, with instances of litter being thrown over the wall and other issues.
“People strive to maintain a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one local, gesturing towards the rusted barricade.
Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Challenges
Within Centre4, staff stress that support does not recognise addresses. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” explained director a community leader.
Regardless of being placed in the lowest 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe boasts a fierce loyalty and feeling of togetherness among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, Scartho ranks among the most prosperous 10% overall.
A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford
This pattern is repeated across the country. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in the country. It is immediately adjacent by large detached homes built in the early 2000s that are in the top 10% for job prospects and quality of surroundings.
“They might have larger properties, but here there’s more community,” said Phil Hockley, 63. “It’s likely many people in the new builds never even talk to each other.”
The economic divide is clear: an average family home costs about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide equivalent properties go for about £410,000.
Residents describe a palpable feeling of being overlooked. “This part of the community gets ignored,” said holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our amenities have slowly been taken away, and the majority of the community problems here are related to poverty.”
The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a portrait of an ever more divided society, where wealth and deprivation are often uncomfortably in close proximity.
