The Growing ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: How Prosperity and Deprivation Now Sit Side by Side in England.
Within Nunsthorpe, residents live in properties just a few metres from their wealthier counterparts in nearby Scartho village. A 1.8-metre-high wall literally divides the two areas in the town of Grimsby, sealing off roads and walkways that once connected them.
“It’s the posh-poor divide,” remarked Serenity Colley, 37. “It’s been like this for as long as I’ve known. I doubt they’ll bring it down because I suspect they’ll want to associate with us.”
A Stark National Picture
Data from government statistics shows the extent of disparity often exists, sometimes over little more than a few metres of asphalt, a line of hedges or a wall. Years of budget cuts and lack of funding have led to a situation where a majority of local authorities now contain a locality ranking as one of the poorest in the nation.
This spread of deprivation has led to a significant increase in the quantity of locations where deprived and affluent residents end up as immediate neighbours. In 2019, just 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods bordered one of the least deprived. This number increased to 119 in the latest data.
A Wall That Does More Than Separate Space
At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the biggest in the country and painfully obvious. The barrier is much more than a metaphorical divide; it creates very real difficulties for daily routines.
- School runs that ought to take a quarter of an hour turn into an sixty-minute detour.
- Reaching important services like supermarkets, educational facilities and care homes is hindered.
- The site can attract antisocial behaviour, with instances of rubbish being dumped over the wall and other issues.
“People strive to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one local, gesturing towards the rusted metal wall.
Local Bonds Amidst Hardship
Within Centre4, workers emphasise that need transcends postcodes. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” said director Tracey Good.
Despite being placed in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe boasts a strong sense and feeling of togetherness among its residents. Meanwhile, the neighbouring area is classified among the most prosperous 10% nationally.
A Similar Story: 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 the country. It is closely bordered by large houses built in the 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for employment and living environment.
“They might have bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” said a long-term resident, aged 63. “You’ll probably find many people over there never even talk to each other.”
The economic gap is evident: an average family home sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide comparable properties fetch about £410,000.
Residents speak of a tangible sense of neglect. “This part of the community is neglected,” said holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our amenities have slowly been taken away, and the majority of the issues we face here are to do with poverty.”
The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a portrait of an ever more divided England, where wealth and need are frequently uncomfortably in close proximity.
