A Rising ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: The Way Affluence and Deprivation Now Sit Side by Side in Across England.
Within Nunsthorpe, residents live in properties only a few metres from their wealthier neighbours in the adjacent Scartho village. A 1.8-metre-high barricade physically separates the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off roads and walkways that once linked them.
“This is the divide between rich and poor,” said a resident, 37. “It has been there since I’ve known. I doubt they’ll take it down because I suspect they’ll want to mix with us.”
A Stark Pattern Across the Country
Analysis of official figures shows the extent of disparity often exists, sometimes across nothing more than a short distance of asphalt, a line of hedges or a wall. Decades of austerity and underinvestment mean almost two-thirds of councils now have a neighbourhood ranking as one of the poorest in the country.
The geographical widening of deprivation has coincided with a significant rise in the quantity of locations where disadvantaged and affluent people find themselves as immediate neighbours. In 2019, just 65 of the most deprived areas adjoined one of the wealthiest. That figure rose to 119 in the most recent data.
A Barrier Which Divides More Than Land
In Grimsby, the divide is the most pronounced in the country and painfully obvious. The wall transcends being just a symbolic divide; it causes tangible problems for daily routines.
- School runs that should take 15-20 minutes turn into an hour-long detour.
- Access to key amenities like supermarkets, schools and employment centres is hindered.
- The site often sees vandalism and loitering, with reports of litter being thrown over the wall and related problems.
“You try to have a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one resident, gesturing towards the corroded barricade.
Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Challenges
Within a local community centre, staff emphasise that need transcends addresses. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” said director a community leader.
Regardless of being placed in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe boasts a fierce loyalty and feeling of togetherness among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, the neighbouring area is classified among the most prosperous 10% overall.
A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent
This pattern is mirrored nationally. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of neighbourhoods in England. It is immediately adjacent by large detached homes built in the early 2000s that sit in the top 10% for job prospects and living environment.
“They may possess larger properties, but here there’s more community,” said a long-term resident, 63. “It’s likely a lot of people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.”
The financial divide is clear: an typical three-bedroom house costs about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while on the other side comparable properties go for about £410,000.
Residents describe a tangible sense of neglect. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” stated resident Susan. “Over here our amenities have slowly been taken away, and most of the issues we face here are related to financial hardship.”
The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a picture of an increasingly divided society, where wealth and need are often awkwardly close neighbours.
