A Rising ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Prosperity and Hardship Are Found Side by Side in Across England.
In Nunsthorpe, residents live in properties just several yards from their more affluent neighbours in the adjacent Scartho village. One 1.8-metre-high barricade physically divides the two communities in the town of Grimsby, sealing off roads and walkways that once linked them.
“It’s the divide between rich and poor,” remarked Serenity Colley, 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 associate with us.”
An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country
Data from official statistics shows the extent of disparity can run, sometimes over little more than a short distance of asphalt, a hedge row or a wall. Years of budget cuts and underinvestment mean almost two-thirds of local authorities now contain a locality ranking as one of the poorest in the country.
The geographical widening of poverty has led to a significant increase in the quantity of places where deprived and well-off people find themselves living side by side. In 2019, only 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods bordered one of the wealthiest. This number rose to 119 in the latest data.
A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Land
In Grimsby, the divide is the most pronounced in the UK and starkly apparent. The barrier is much more than a symbolic divide; it creates very real problems for everyday life.
- The school commute that should take 15-20 minutes turn into an hour-long journey.
- Access to key amenities like supermarkets, schools and employment centres is made more difficult.
- The area often sees antisocial behaviour, with instances of litter being dumped over the wall and other problems.
“People strive to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” noted one local, motioning at the corroded metal wall.
Local Bonds Amidst Hardship
Within a local community centre, workers stress that support transcends addresses. “Where you live is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” said chief executive Tracey Good.
Regardless of being placed in the lowest 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, the estate boasts a strong sense and sense of togetherness among its residents. By contrast, Scartho is classified among the least deprived 10% overall.
Echoes Elsewhere: An Estate in Kent
This phenomenon is repeated across the country. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in England. It is closely bordered by spacious detached homes built in the 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and living environment.
“They might have larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” said a long-term resident, 63. “You’ll probably find many people in the new builds never even talk to each other.”
The economic divide is clear: an typical three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide equivalent properties go for about £410,000.
Locals describe a tangible feeling of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” said holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our facilities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the issues we face here are to do with financial hardship.”
The rise in these ‘inequality borders’ presents a picture of an ever more divided England, where prosperity and deprivation are often uncomfortably in close proximity.
