A Growing ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: How Affluence and Hardship Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in England.
In Nunsthorpe, inhabitants live in properties only a few metres from their more affluent neighbours in nearby Scartho. A six-foot-tall wall physically divides the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off paths and streets that previously linked them.
“It’s the posh-poor divide,” said a resident, 37. “It’s been like this for as long as I’ve known. I doubt they’ll take it down because I don’t think they’ll want to associate with us.”
An Increasingly Common National Picture
Analysis of official figures shows how deep inequality can run, sometimes across little more than a few metres of tarmac, a line of hedges or a wall. Decades of austerity and underinvestment have led to a situation where a majority of local authorities now contain a locality classified as one of the poorest in the nation.
The geographical widening of deprivation has led to a significant increase in the quantity of locations where deprived and affluent residents find themselves living side by side. In 2019, only 65 of the poorest areas bordered one of the least deprived. That figure increased to 119 in the most recent data.
A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Space
At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the biggest in the UK and painfully apparent. The wall transcends being just a symbolic division; it creates tangible difficulties for everyday life.
- The school commute that should take 15-20 minutes become an hour-long detour.
- Access to key amenities like supermarkets, educational facilities and employment centres is made more difficult.
- The area can attract antisocial behaviour, with instances of litter being thrown over the wall and related issues.
“People strive to maintain a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one local, gesturing towards the rusted metal wall.
Community Spirit Against a Backdrop of Hardship
Within Centre4, staff stress that need does not recognise postcodes. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” explained chief executive a community leader.
Despite being placed in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe retains a strong sense and sense of togetherness among its residents. By contrast, Scartho is classified among the most prosperous 10% nationally.
A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent
This phenomenon is mirrored nationally. The Stanhope area in Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in the country. It is immediately adjacent by large detached homes built in the 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for employment and quality of surroundings.
“They might have larger properties, but here there’s more community,” commented a long-term resident, aged 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people over there don’t even speak to each other.”
The financial gap is clear: an average family home costs about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide comparable properties go for about £410,000.
Locals speak of a palpable feeling of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” said holistic health worker Susan. “In this area our amenities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the community problems here are to do with financial hardship.”
The rise in these ‘inequality borders’ presents a portrait of an ever more divided England, where prosperity and need are often awkwardly close neighbours.
