The Rising ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: The Way Prosperity and Deprivation Are Found Cheek by Jowl in Across England.
Within a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants live in homes only a few metres from their more affluent neighbours in nearby Scartho village. A six-foot-tall wall literally separates the two areas in the town of Grimsby, sealing off roads and walkways that previously connected them.
“This is the divide between rich and poor,” remarked a resident, aged 37. “It has been there for as long as 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
Analysis of official statistics reveals the extent of disparity often exists, at times across nothing more than a short distance of tarmac, a hedge row or a wall. Years of austerity and lack of funding mean almost two-thirds of councils now contain a locality ranking as one of the most deprived in the nation.
This geographical widening of poverty has coincided with a sharp increase in the number of locations where deprived and affluent people end up as immediate neighbours. Just a few years ago, only 65 of the most deprived areas bordered one of the least deprived. That figure rose to 119 in the latest data.
A Wall That Divides More Than Space
In Grimsby, the divide is the biggest in the UK and starkly apparent. The wall transcends being just a metaphorical division; it causes very real problems for everyday life.
- The school commute that ought to take 15-20 minutes become an sixty-minute journey.
- Access to important services like grocery stores, schools and care homes is made more difficult.
- The site often sees antisocial behaviour, with reports of rubbish being dumped over the wall and other problems.
“You try to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one local, motioning at the rusted metal wall.
Local Bonds Amidst Hardship
Within a local community centre, workers emphasise that support transcends addresses. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” explained chief executive a community leader.
Regardless of being placed in the lowest 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe retains a fierce loyalty and feeling of community among its residents. By contrast, Scartho ranks among the least deprived 10% overall.
Echoes Elsewhere: An Estate in Kent
This phenomenon is repeated nationally. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a mid-century housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of neighbourhoods in England. It is immediately adjacent by spacious detached homes built in the 2000s that sit in the top 10% for employment and living environment.
“They may possess bigger houses, but here there’s more community,” commented a long-term resident, 63. “It’s likely many people over there don’t even speak to each other.”
The financial divide is clear: an typical three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while on the other side comparable properties go for about £410,000.
Locals describe a tangible feeling of neglect. “This part of the community gets ignored,” said holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our facilities have slowly been taken away, and most of the issues we face here are related to poverty.”
The rise in these ‘inequality borders’ paints a picture of an increasingly segregated society, where wealth and deprivation are frequently uncomfortably in close proximity.
