The Growing ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: The Way Affluence and Hardship Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in England.
Within Nunsthorpe, residents live in homes just a few metres from their wealthier neighbours in the adjacent Scartho village. One six-foot-tall wall literally divides the two communities in the town of Grimsby, blocking off roads and walkways that once linked them.
“This is the divide between rich and poor,” said Serenity Colley, 37. “It has been there since I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll take it down because I don’t think they’ll want to mix with us.”
An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country
Data from official statistics shows the extent of disparity can run, sometimes across little more than a few metres of tarmac, a line of hedges or a wall. Years of budget cuts and underinvestment have led to a situation where a majority of councils now have a neighbourhood classified as one of the poorest in the nation.
This geographical widening of deprivation has led to a sharp rise in the number of places where deprived and affluent people find themselves as immediate neighbours. In 2019, only 65 of the most deprived areas bordered one of the wealthiest. That figure rose to 119 in the latest data.
A Wall That Does More Than Separate Space
In Grimsby, the divide is the biggest in the UK and painfully obvious. The barrier transcends being just a metaphorical divide; it creates very real problems for everyday life.
- The school commute that should take 15-20 minutes become an sixty-minute detour.
- Access to key amenities like supermarkets, schools and employment centres is hindered.
- The site can attract vandalism and loitering, with instances of rubbish being dumped over the wall and related issues.
“People strive to have a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one resident, gesturing towards the rusted barricade.
Community Spirit Amidst Hardship
At Centre4, staff stress that support does not recognise addresses. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” said director Tracey Good.
Regardless of ranking in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe boasts a strong sense and feeling of togetherness among its residents. By contrast, the neighbouring area ranks among the least deprived 10% overall.
Echoes Elsewhere: Stanhope in Ashford
This phenomenon is repeated across the country. The Stanhope area in Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in the country. It is immediately adjacent by spacious detached homes built in the 2000s that sit in the top 10% for job prospects and quality of surroundings.
“They might have larger properties, but here there’s more community,” said a long-term resident, aged 63. “You’ll probably find many people over there never even talk to each other.”
The financial divide is evident: an average family home costs about £275,000 on the estate, while on the other side comparable homes go for about £410,000.
Locals speak of a palpable feeling of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” said resident Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our amenities have slowly been taken away, and the majority of the issues we face here are related to poverty.”
The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a picture of an increasingly segregated England, where prosperity and deprivation are frequently uncomfortably in close proximity.
