A Growing ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: How Prosperity and Deprivation Are Found Cheek by Jowl in Across England.
In Nunsthorpe, residents live in homes only a few metres from their more affluent neighbours in the adjacent Scartho village. One 1.8-metre-high barricade literally separates the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off roads and walkways that once linked them.
“This is the posh-poor divide,” said Serenity Colley, 37. “It’s been like this since I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll bring it down because I don’t think they’ll want to associate with us.”
A Stark National Picture
Analysis of government figures reveals how deep disparity can run, sometimes over nothing more than a few metres of asphalt, a hedge row or a wall. Years of austerity and lack of funding mean almost two-thirds of local authorities now contain a locality ranking as one of the poorest in the country.
This spread of deprivation has coincided with a sharp rise in the number of locations where disadvantaged and affluent people find themselves living side by side. In 2019, just 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods adjoined one of the least deprived. That figure rose to 119 in the latest data.
A Barrier Which Divides More Than Space
At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the biggest in the UK and starkly apparent. The barrier transcends being just a metaphorical divide; it creates very real problems for everyday life.
- School runs that should take 15-20 minutes become an hour-long detour.
- Reaching key amenities like grocery stores, schools and care homes is made more difficult.
- The site often sees vandalism and loitering, with reports of rubbish being thrown over the wall and related problems.
“You try to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one resident, motioning at the corroded metal wall.
Community Spirit Amidst Challenges
At Centre4, workers stress that support transcends addresses. “Where you live is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” explained director a community leader.
Despite being placed in the lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe retains a strong sense and feeling of togetherness among its residents. Meanwhile, Scartho ranks among the most prosperous 10% overall.
Echoes Elsewhere: An Estate in Kent
This pattern is mirrored nationally. The Stanhope estate in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the 10% most deprived of neighbourhoods in the country. It is closely bordered by spacious houses built in the early 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for employment and quality of surroundings.
“They may possess bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” said Phil Hockley, aged 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people over there don’t even speak to each other.”
The economic gap is clear: an typical three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide comparable homes go for about £410,000.
Locals describe a tangible feeling of neglect. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” said holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our amenities have slowly been taken away, and most of the community problems here are related to poverty.”
The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a picture of an ever more divided society, where prosperity and need are frequently uncomfortably close neighbours.
