🔗 Share this article The Rising ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: The Way Prosperity and Deprivation Are Found Side by Side in England. In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants occupy properties only a few metres from their more affluent counterparts in the adjacent Scartho village. A 1.8-metre-high wall physically separates the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off paths and streets that previously connected them. “This is the divide between rich and poor,” remarked a resident, 37. “It’s been like this for as long as I’ve known. I doubt they’ll take it down because I suspect they’ll want to mix with us.” An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country Data from official figures reveals how deep disparity often exists, at times over nothing more than a short distance of tarmac, a hedge row or a barrier. Decades of austerity and lack of funding have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of local authorities now have a neighbourhood ranking as one of the poorest in the country. This geographical widening of deprivation has led to a sharp rise in the number of locations where disadvantaged and well-off residents find themselves living side by side. In 2019, only 65 of the most deprived areas adjoined one of the least deprived. That figure rose to 119 in the latest data. A Wall That Does More Than Separate Land In Grimsby, the divide is the biggest in the country and painfully obvious. The barrier is much more than a symbolic divide; it creates tangible difficulties for everyday life. The school commute that should take 15-20 minutes turn into an sixty-minute detour. Access to important services like supermarkets, schools and care homes is hindered. The site often sees vandalism and loitering, with instances of rubbish being dumped over the wall and other problems. “People strive to have a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one local, motioning at the corroded barricade. Community Spirit Against a Backdrop of Challenges At Centre4, workers emphasise that need does not recognise postcodes. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” explained director a community leader. Despite being placed in the lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate retains a fierce loyalty and sense of togetherness among its residents. By contrast, Scartho ranks among the least deprived 10% overall. A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent This pattern is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in the country. It is closely bordered by spacious houses built in the 2000s that sit in the top 10% for employment and living environment. “They might have 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 never even talk to each other.” The financial gap is clear: an typical three-bedroom house costs about £275,000 on the estate, while on the other side equivalent homes go for about £410,000. Locals speak of a tangible sense of neglect. “This part of the community gets ignored,” stated resident Susan. “In this area our amenities have slowly been taken away, and most of the issues we face here are to do with financial hardship.” The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a picture of an increasingly segregated society, where prosperity and need are often uncomfortably close neighbours.
In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants occupy properties only a few metres from their more affluent counterparts in the adjacent Scartho village. A 1.8-metre-high wall physically separates the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off paths and streets that previously connected them. “This is the divide between rich and poor,” remarked a resident, 37. “It’s been like this for as long as I’ve known. I doubt they’ll take it down because I suspect they’ll want to mix with us.” An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country Data from official figures reveals how deep disparity often exists, at times over nothing more than a short distance of tarmac, a hedge row or a barrier. Decades of austerity and lack of funding have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of local authorities now have a neighbourhood ranking as one of the poorest in the country. This geographical widening of deprivation has led to a sharp rise in the number of locations where disadvantaged and well-off residents find themselves living side by side. In 2019, only 65 of the most deprived areas adjoined one of the least deprived. That figure rose to 119 in the latest data. A Wall That Does More Than Separate Land In Grimsby, the divide is the biggest in the country and painfully obvious. The barrier is much more than a symbolic divide; it creates tangible difficulties for everyday life. The school commute that should take 15-20 minutes turn into an sixty-minute detour. Access to important services like supermarkets, schools and care homes is hindered. The site often sees vandalism and loitering, with instances of rubbish being dumped over the wall and other problems. “People strive to have a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one local, motioning at the corroded barricade. Community Spirit Against a Backdrop of Challenges At Centre4, workers emphasise that need does not recognise postcodes. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” explained director a community leader. Despite being placed in the lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate retains a fierce loyalty and sense of togetherness among its residents. By contrast, Scartho ranks among the least deprived 10% overall. A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent This pattern is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in the country. It is closely bordered by spacious houses built in the 2000s that sit in the top 10% for employment and living environment. “They might have 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 never even talk to each other.” The financial gap is clear: an typical three-bedroom house costs about £275,000 on the estate, while on the other side equivalent homes go for about £410,000. Locals speak of a tangible sense of neglect. “This part of the community gets ignored,” stated resident Susan. “In this area our amenities have slowly been taken away, and most of the issues we face here are to do with financial hardship.” The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a picture of an increasingly segregated society, where prosperity and need are often uncomfortably close neighbours.