🔗 Share this article A Growing ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Prosperity and Hardship Now Sit Side by Side in Across England. In Nunsthorpe, inhabitants live in homes only a few metres from their more affluent counterparts in nearby Scartho village. One 1.8-metre-high wall literally separates the two areas in the town of Grimsby, blocking off roads and walkways that previously linked them. “This is the divide between rich and poor,” remarked a resident, 37. “It has been there since I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll bring it down because I suspect they’ll want to mix with us.” An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country Data from official figures shows the extent of inequality can run, at times across nothing more than a few metres of asphalt, a hedge row or a barrier. Years of austerity and lack of funding have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of councils now contain a neighbourhood ranking as one of the most deprived in the nation. The spread of poverty has coincided with a sharp rise in the quantity of places where disadvantaged and well-off people end up living side by side. In 2019, only 65 of the most deprived areas bordered one of the least deprived. That figure increased to 119 in the latest data. A Wall That Divides More Than Land In Grimsby, the divide is the most pronounced in the UK and starkly obvious. The wall transcends being just a symbolic division; it creates very real problems for daily routines. The school commute that should take a quarter of an hour turn into an hour-long journey. Reaching important amenities like grocery stores, schools and employment centres is hindered. The area can attract antisocial behaviour, with reports of rubbish being thrown over the wall and related issues. “You try to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one resident, motioning at the corroded metal wall. Local Bonds Amidst Hardship Within Centre4, staff emphasise that need transcends addresses. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” said chief executive a community leader. Despite being placed in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe boasts a strong sense and sense of community among its inhabitants. By contrast, the neighbouring area is classified among the least deprived 10% overall. A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent This phenomenon is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in England. It is immediately adjacent by spacious detached homes built in the 2000s that are in the top 10% for employment and quality of surroundings. “They may possess larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” commented Phil Hockley, aged 63. “You’ll probably find many people in the new builds never even talk to each other.” The financial gap is evident: an typical family home costs about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide equivalent homes fetch about £410,000. Locals speak of a palpable feeling of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” stated holistic health worker Susan. “Over here our amenities have slowly been taken away, and most of the community problems here are related to poverty.” The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a portrait of an increasingly divided society, where wealth and need are often awkwardly close neighbours.
In Nunsthorpe, inhabitants live in homes only a few metres from their more affluent counterparts in nearby Scartho village. One 1.8-metre-high wall literally separates the two areas in the town of Grimsby, blocking off roads and walkways that previously linked them. “This is the divide between rich and poor,” remarked a resident, 37. “It has been there since I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll bring it down because I suspect they’ll want to mix with us.” An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country Data from official figures shows the extent of inequality can run, at times across nothing more than a few metres of asphalt, a hedge row or a barrier. Years of austerity and lack of funding have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of councils now contain a neighbourhood ranking as one of the most deprived in the nation. The spread of poverty has coincided with a sharp rise in the quantity of places where disadvantaged and well-off people end up living side by side. In 2019, only 65 of the most deprived areas bordered one of the least deprived. That figure increased to 119 in the latest data. A Wall That Divides More Than Land In Grimsby, the divide is the most pronounced in the UK and starkly obvious. The wall transcends being just a symbolic division; it creates very real problems for daily routines. The school commute that should take a quarter of an hour turn into an hour-long journey. Reaching important amenities like grocery stores, schools and employment centres is hindered. The area can attract antisocial behaviour, with reports of rubbish being thrown over the wall and related issues. “You try to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one resident, motioning at the corroded metal wall. Local Bonds Amidst Hardship Within Centre4, staff emphasise that need transcends addresses. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” said chief executive a community leader. Despite being placed in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe boasts a strong sense and sense of community among its inhabitants. By contrast, the neighbouring area is classified among the least deprived 10% overall. A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent This phenomenon is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in England. It is immediately adjacent by spacious detached homes built in the 2000s that are in the top 10% for employment and quality of surroundings. “They may possess larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” commented Phil Hockley, aged 63. “You’ll probably find many people in the new builds never even talk to each other.” The financial gap is evident: an typical family home costs about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide equivalent homes fetch about £410,000. Locals speak of a palpable feeling of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” stated holistic health worker Susan. “Over here our amenities have slowly been taken away, and most of the community problems here are related to poverty.” The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a portrait of an increasingly divided society, where wealth and need are often awkwardly close neighbours.