A Growing ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: The Way Affluence and Deprivation Are Found Side by Side in Across England.
Within a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants occupy homes only several yards from their more affluent neighbours in nearby Scartho. One six-foot-tall barricade physically separates the two areas in the town of Grimsby, sealing off roads and walkways that once linked them.
“This is the divide between rich and poor,” remarked Serenity Colley, aged 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 associate with us.”
An Increasingly Common National Picture
Analysis of official figures reveals how deep disparity can run, at times over little more than a few metres of tarmac, a line of hedges or a barrier. Years of austerity and lack of funding have led to a situation where a majority of local authorities now contain a neighbourhood classified as one of the most deprived in the country.
The geographical widening of poverty has coincided with a significant increase in the quantity of locations where disadvantaged and well-off residents end up as immediate neighbours. In 2019, only 65 of the poorest areas adjoined one of the wealthiest. That figure increased to 119 in the most recent data.
A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Land
At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the most pronounced in the UK and starkly apparent. The barrier transcends being just a metaphorical division; it causes tangible difficulties for daily routines.
- School runs that ought to take 15-20 minutes become an hour-long detour.
- Access to key services like grocery stores, educational facilities and care homes is made more difficult.
- The area often sees vandalism and loitering, with instances of rubbish being thrown over the wall and related issues.
“You try to have a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one resident, gesturing towards the corroded barricade.
Local Bonds Amidst Challenges
At a local community centre, staff stress that support transcends postcodes. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” explained director a community leader.
Regardless of ranking in the lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate retains a strong sense and sense of community among its residents. Meanwhile, Scartho is classified among the most prosperous 10% nationally.
A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford
This pattern is mirrored nationally. The Stanhope area in Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the 10% most deprived of neighbourhoods in England. It is closely bordered by large houses built in the 2000s that are in the top 10% for job prospects and living environment.
“They might have larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” said Phil Hockley, aged 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.”
The economic divide is evident: an typical family home costs about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide equivalent properties fetch about £410,000.
Residents speak of a palpable feeling of being overlooked. “This part of the community gets ignored,” said holistic health worker Susan. “In this area our facilities have gradually disappeared, and most of the issues we face here are related to financial hardship.”
The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a picture of an ever more segregated England, where prosperity and deprivation are often awkwardly close neighbours.