A Growing ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: The Way Affluence and Deprivation Now Sit Side by Side in England.

Within a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, residents live in homes only several yards from their wealthier neighbours in nearby Scartho. One six-foot-tall wall literally separates the two areas in the town of Grimsby, blocking off roads and walkways that previously linked them.

“This is the posh-poor divide,” remarked a resident, 37. “It’s been like this for as long as I’ve known. I doubt they’ll bring it down because I don’t think they’ll want to mix with us.”

An Increasingly Common National Picture

Data from government figures reveals the extent of inequality often exists, at times over nothing more than a short distance of tarmac, a hedge row or a wall. Decades of budget cuts and underinvestment have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of councils now contain a neighbourhood ranking as one of the poorest in the country.

The geographical widening of deprivation has coincided with a significant rise in the number of places where deprived and affluent people end up as immediate neighbours. In 2019, just 65 of the poorest areas bordered one of the wealthiest. That figure rose to 119 in the most recent data.

A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Land

In Grimsby, the divide is the biggest in the UK and starkly apparent. The wall transcends being just a metaphorical division; it causes very real difficulties for everyday life.

• School runs that ought to take 15-20 minutes turn into an hour-long journey.
• Reaching key amenities like grocery stores, schools and care homes is made more difficult.
• The area often sees vandalism and loitering, with reports of rubbish being dumped over the wall and other problems.

“You try to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one resident, motioning at the corroded barricade.

Community Spirit Amidst Challenges

Within Centre4, staff stress that support transcends addresses. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” explained director Tracey Good.

Despite ranking in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe boasts a strong sense and sense of togetherness among its residents. Meanwhile, Scartho is classified among the most prosperous 10% overall.

A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent

This pattern is repeated across the country. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the 10% most deprived of neighbourhoods in the country. It is closely bordered by large detached homes built in the 2000s that sit in the top 10% for employment and quality of surroundings.

“They might have larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” said a long-term resident, aged 63. “It’s likely a lot of people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.”

The economic divide is evident: an average three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while on the other side comparable properties fetch about £410,000.

Locals describe a tangible sense of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” said resident Susan. “In this area our facilities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the community problems here are to do with poverty.”

The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a picture of an increasingly divided society, where wealth and need are often uncomfortably close neighbours.