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

In Nunsthorpe, residents occupy homes only a few metres from their more affluent counterparts in nearby Scartho. A six-foot-tall barricade physically separates the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off roads and walkways that previously connected them.

“It’s the posh-poor divide,” remarked Serenity Colley, 37. “It has been there since I’ve known. I doubt they’ll bring it down because I suspect they’ll want to associate with us.”

An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country

Analysis of government figures shows the extent of inequality can run, sometimes over little more than a few metres of asphalt, a line of hedges or a barrier. Years of austerity and lack of funding mean a majority of local authorities now have a neighbourhood classified as one of the most deprived in the country.

This spread of deprivation has led to a significant increase in the number of places where disadvantaged and well-off people end up living side by side. Just a few years ago, only 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods bordered one of the wealthiest. That figure rose to 119 in the most recent data.

A Barrier Which Divides More Than Space

In Grimsby, the divide is the most pronounced in the country and painfully apparent. The barrier transcends being just a metaphorical division; it causes very real problems for daily routines.

• The school commute that ought to take a quarter of an hour become an sixty-minute detour.
• Access to important amenities like grocery stores, educational facilities and care homes is hindered.
• The area can attract antisocial behaviour, with reports of litter being dumped over the wall and other issues.

“People strive to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” noted one local, gesturing towards the corroded metal wall.

Community Spirit Against a Backdrop of Hardship

At a local community centre, workers emphasise that support does not recognise postcodes. “Where you live 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, Nunsthorpe boasts a fierce loyalty and feeling of togetherness among its inhabitants. By contrast, Scartho ranks among the most prosperous 10% overall.

Echoes Elsewhere: An Estate in Kent

This phenomenon is repeated across the country. The Stanhope estate in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of neighbourhoods in England. It is closely bordered by large detached homes built in the 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and living environment.

“They may possess larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” said a long-term resident, 63. “It’s likely a lot of people in the new builds never even talk to each other.”

The financial gap is evident: an typical three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide equivalent homes go for about £410,000.

Residents speak of a tangible feeling of neglect. “This part of the community gets ignored,” stated resident Susan. “In this area our amenities have slowly been taken away, and the majority of the issues we face here are to do with financial hardship.”

The increase in these ‘inequality borders’ paints a picture of an ever more segregated society, where prosperity and deprivation are often uncomfortably in close proximity.