The Rising ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: How Affluence and Deprivation Now Sit Side by Side in Across England.

Within a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, residents occupy homes just a few metres from their wealthier neighbours in nearby Scartho. A six-foot-tall wall literally divides the two communities in the town of Grimsby, blocking off roads and walkways that once linked them.

“This is the posh-poor divide,” said Serenity Colley, aged 37. “It’s been like this since I’ve known. I doubt they’ll take it down because I don’t think they’ll want to associate with us.”

A Stark National Picture

Data from government statistics shows the extent of disparity often exists, sometimes over little more than a few metres of asphalt, a hedge row or a barrier. Decades of austerity and underinvestment mean a majority of councils now contain a locality classified as one of the most deprived in the country.

This geographical widening of deprivation has coincided with a sharp rise in the quantity of places where deprived and well-off residents find themselves as immediate neighbours. In 2019, only 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods adjoined one of the least deprived. This number increased to 119 in the most recent data.

A Wall That Does More Than Separate Land

At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the biggest in the country and painfully obvious. The wall is much more than a metaphorical divide; it creates very real problems for everyday life.

• School runs that should take a quarter of an hour turn into an hour-long journey.
• Reaching key services like supermarkets, educational facilities and employment centres is made more difficult.
• The site often sees vandalism and loitering, with instances of litter being thrown over the wall and related issues.

“People strive to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one resident, motioning at the corroded metal wall.

Community Spirit Amidst Hardship

At Centre4, workers emphasise that support transcends postcodes. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” explained chief executive a community leader.

Regardless of ranking in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate boasts a strong sense and feeling of community among its residents. By contrast, Scartho is classified among the least deprived 10% nationally.

A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford

This phenomenon is mirrored nationally. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in the country. It is closely bordered by large detached homes built in the 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for employment and living environment.

“They might have larger properties, but here there’s more community,” said Phil Hockley, aged 63. “You’ll probably find many people over there never even talk to each other.”

The economic divide is clear: an typical family home sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while on the other side equivalent properties fetch about £410,000.

Locals speak of a palpable feeling of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” stated holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our amenities 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 divided society, where prosperity and deprivation are often awkwardly close neighbours.