🔗 Share this article A Rising ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: How Affluence and Deprivation Are Found Cheek by Jowl in Across England. In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants occupy homes just several yards from their more affluent counterparts in nearby Scartho village. One six-foot-tall barricade literally divides the two areas in the town of Grimsby, blocking off paths and streets that previously connected them. “This is the posh-poor divide,” said Serenity Colley, 37. “It’s been like this for as long as I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll take it down because I suspect they’ll want to mix with us.” A Stark National Picture Data from government figures reveals the extent of disparity often exists, at times over nothing more than a few metres of asphalt, a line of hedges or a barrier. Decades of budget cuts and underinvestment mean almost two-thirds of local authorities now have a neighbourhood ranking as one of the most deprived in the country. This spread of deprivation has coincided with a sharp increase in the quantity of places where disadvantaged and affluent people find themselves living side by side. In 2019, only 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods bordered one of the wealthiest. This number increased to 119 in the latest data. A Wall That Divides More Than Space In Grimsby, the divide is the most pronounced in the country and painfully obvious. The wall transcends being just a metaphorical division; it causes tangible problems for everyday life. The school commute that ought to take a quarter of an hour become an hour-long journey. Reaching key services like grocery stores, schools and employment centres is made more difficult. The site often sees vandalism and loitering, with reports of litter 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 local, gesturing towards the corroded metal wall. Local Bonds Amidst Hardship At Centre4, staff emphasise that need transcends addresses. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” said director a community leader. Despite ranking in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate retains a fierce loyalty and sense of togetherness among its residents. By contrast, the neighbouring area ranks among the least deprived 10% nationally. Echoes Elsewhere: An Estate in Kent This pattern is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in the country. It is immediately adjacent by large houses built in the early 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and quality of surroundings. “They may possess bigger houses, 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 never even talk 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 equivalent homes go for about £410,000. Locals speak of a tangible sense of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” said resident Susan. “Over here our facilities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the issues we face here are to do with financial hardship.” The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a portrait of an increasingly divided society, where prosperity and need are often awkwardly close neighbours.
In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants occupy homes just several yards from their more affluent counterparts in nearby Scartho village. One six-foot-tall barricade literally divides the two areas in the town of Grimsby, blocking off paths and streets that previously connected them. “This is the posh-poor divide,” said Serenity Colley, 37. “It’s been like this for as long as I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll take it down because I suspect they’ll want to mix with us.” A Stark National Picture Data from government figures reveals the extent of disparity often exists, at times over nothing more than a few metres of asphalt, a line of hedges or a barrier. Decades of budget cuts and underinvestment mean almost two-thirds of local authorities now have a neighbourhood ranking as one of the most deprived in the country. This spread of deprivation has coincided with a sharp increase in the quantity of places where disadvantaged and affluent people find themselves living side by side. In 2019, only 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods bordered one of the wealthiest. This number increased to 119 in the latest data. A Wall That Divides More Than Space In Grimsby, the divide is the most pronounced in the country and painfully obvious. The wall transcends being just a metaphorical division; it causes tangible problems for everyday life. The school commute that ought to take a quarter of an hour become an hour-long journey. Reaching key services like grocery stores, schools and employment centres is made more difficult. The site often sees vandalism and loitering, with reports of litter 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 local, gesturing towards the corroded metal wall. Local Bonds Amidst Hardship At Centre4, staff emphasise that need transcends addresses. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” said director a community leader. Despite ranking in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate retains a fierce loyalty and sense of togetherness among its residents. By contrast, the neighbouring area ranks among the least deprived 10% nationally. Echoes Elsewhere: An Estate in Kent This pattern is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in the country. It is immediately adjacent by large houses built in the early 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and quality of surroundings. “They may possess bigger houses, 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 never even talk 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 equivalent homes go for about £410,000. Locals speak of a tangible sense of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” said resident Susan. “Over here our facilities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the issues we face here are to do with financial hardship.” The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a portrait of an increasingly divided society, where prosperity and need are often awkwardly close neighbours.