🔗 Share this article The Growing ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Affluence and Deprivation Now Sit Side by Side in Across England. Within a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants live in properties only a few metres from their more affluent neighbours in the adjacent Scartho village. A 1.8-metre-high wall literally separates the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off roads and walkways that once connected them. “This is the divide between rich and poor,” remarked Serenity Colley, aged 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 Data from government statistics reveals how deep inequality can run, at times across little more than a few metres of asphalt, a hedge row or a barrier. Years of austerity and underinvestment have led to a situation where a majority of local authorities now contain a neighbourhood ranking as one of the most deprived in the country. This geographical widening of poverty has coincided with a significant increase in the number of places where deprived and affluent residents end up living side by side. In 2019, just 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods bordered one of the least deprived. That figure increased to 119 in the latest data. A Wall That Divides More Than Space At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the biggest in the UK and starkly obvious. The wall is much more than a metaphorical divide; it causes very real problems for everyday life. School runs that should take 15-20 minutes become an hour-long detour. Access to important services like grocery stores, educational facilities and care homes is hindered. The area can attract vandalism and loitering, with reports of rubbish being dumped over the wall and other problems. “You try to maintain a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one local, motioning at the rusted barricade. Community Spirit Against a Backdrop of Hardship At Centre4, workers stress that support transcends postcodes. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” said director Tracey Good. Regardless of ranking in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, the estate retains a fierce loyalty and feeling of community among its inhabitants. By contrast, Scartho ranks among the least deprived 10% nationally. Echoes Elsewhere: An Estate in Kent This pattern is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope estate in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s 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 are in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and quality of surroundings. “They may possess bigger houses, but here there’s more community,” said Phil Hockley, 63. “You’ll probably find many people over there never even talk to each other.” The financial gap is clear: an average three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide equivalent homes go for about £410,000. Locals describe a tangible feeling of being overlooked. “This part of the community is neglected,” said holistic health worker Susan. “Over here our facilities have slowly been taken away, and most of the community problems here are to do with poverty.” The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a portrait of an increasingly segregated England, where wealth and deprivation are often uncomfortably in close proximity.
Within a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants live in properties only a few metres from their more affluent neighbours in the adjacent Scartho village. A 1.8-metre-high wall literally separates the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off roads and walkways that once connected them. “This is the divide between rich and poor,” remarked Serenity Colley, aged 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 Data from government statistics reveals how deep inequality can run, at times across little more than a few metres of asphalt, a hedge row or a barrier. Years of austerity and underinvestment have led to a situation where a majority of local authorities now contain a neighbourhood ranking as one of the most deprived in the country. This geographical widening of poverty has coincided with a significant increase in the number of places where deprived and affluent residents end up living side by side. In 2019, just 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods bordered one of the least deprived. That figure increased to 119 in the latest data. A Wall That Divides More Than Space At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the biggest in the UK and starkly obvious. The wall is much more than a metaphorical divide; it causes very real problems for everyday life. School runs that should take 15-20 minutes become an hour-long detour. Access to important services like grocery stores, educational facilities and care homes is hindered. The area can attract vandalism and loitering, with reports of rubbish being dumped over the wall and other problems. “You try to maintain a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one local, motioning at the rusted barricade. Community Spirit Against a Backdrop of Hardship At Centre4, workers stress that support transcends postcodes. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” said director Tracey Good. Regardless of ranking in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, the estate retains a fierce loyalty and feeling of community among its inhabitants. By contrast, Scartho ranks among the least deprived 10% nationally. Echoes Elsewhere: An Estate in Kent This pattern is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope estate in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s 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 are in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and quality of surroundings. “They may possess bigger houses, but here there’s more community,” said Phil Hockley, 63. “You’ll probably find many people over there never even talk to each other.” The financial gap is clear: an average three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide equivalent homes go for about £410,000. Locals describe a tangible feeling of being overlooked. “This part of the community is neglected,” said holistic health worker Susan. “Over here our facilities have slowly been taken away, and most of the community problems here are to do with poverty.” The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a portrait of an increasingly segregated England, where wealth and deprivation are often uncomfortably in close proximity.