🔗 Share this article A Growing ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: The Way Prosperity and Deprivation Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in Across England. In Nunsthorpe, inhabitants live in homes only several yards from their more affluent counterparts in nearby Scartho. A 1.8-metre-high barricade literally divides the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off roads and walkways that previously connected them. “It’s the posh-poor divide,” said a resident, aged 37. “It’s been like this since I’ve known. I doubt they’ll bring it down because I suspect they’ll want to mix with us.” A Stark Pattern Across the Country Analysis of government figures reveals the extent of inequality can run, sometimes across nothing more than a short distance of tarmac, a line of hedges or a wall. Decades of austerity and lack of funding have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of councils now contain a neighbourhood classified as one of the most deprived in the nation. This spread of deprivation has led to a sharp rise in the quantity of places where disadvantaged and well-off people end up as immediate neighbours. Just a few years ago, only 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods bordered one of the least deprived. This number rose to 119 in the latest data. A Wall That Divides More Than Space In Grimsby, the divide is the most pronounced in the UK and starkly obvious. The barrier is much more than a metaphorical division; it causes very real problems for everyday life. School runs that ought to take 15-20 minutes become an hour-long detour. Access to important services like supermarkets, educational facilities and care homes is made more difficult. The site can attract antisocial behaviour, with instances of litter being thrown over the wall and other problems. “People strive to maintain a nice house and nice garden, and then you reside facing that,” noted one resident, motioning at the rusted barricade. Local Bonds Amidst Challenges Within Centre4, workers emphasise that support does not recognise addresses. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” explained director Tracey Good. Despite ranking in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate retains a fierce loyalty and sense of community among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, the neighbouring area is classified among the least deprived 10% nationally. Echoes Elsewhere: Stanhope in Ashford This pattern is repeated nationally. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of neighbourhoods in England. It is closely bordered by large detached homes built in the 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and living environment. “They might have bigger houses, but here there’s more community,” commented Phil Hockley, aged 63. “You’ll probably find many people over there don’t even speak to each other.” The financial gap is evident: an average family home sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while on the other side equivalent properties fetch about £410,000. Residents speak of a palpable feeling of neglect. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” stated resident Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our amenities have slowly been taken away, and most of the issues we face here are to do with poverty.” The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a portrait of an increasingly divided society, where prosperity and deprivation are frequently awkwardly in close proximity.
In Nunsthorpe, inhabitants live in homes only several yards from their more affluent counterparts in nearby Scartho. A 1.8-metre-high barricade literally divides the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off roads and walkways that previously connected them. “It’s the posh-poor divide,” said a resident, aged 37. “It’s been like this since I’ve known. I doubt they’ll bring it down because I suspect they’ll want to mix with us.” A Stark Pattern Across the Country Analysis of government figures reveals the extent of inequality can run, sometimes across nothing more than a short distance of tarmac, a line of hedges or a wall. Decades of austerity and lack of funding have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of councils now contain a neighbourhood classified as one of the most deprived in the nation. This spread of deprivation has led to a sharp rise in the quantity of places where disadvantaged and well-off people end up as immediate neighbours. Just a few years ago, only 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods bordered one of the least deprived. This number rose to 119 in the latest data. A Wall That Divides More Than Space In Grimsby, the divide is the most pronounced in the UK and starkly obvious. The barrier is much more than a metaphorical division; it causes very real problems for everyday life. School runs that ought to take 15-20 minutes become an hour-long detour. Access to important services like supermarkets, educational facilities and care homes is made more difficult. The site can attract antisocial behaviour, with instances of litter being thrown over the wall and other problems. “People strive to maintain a nice house and nice garden, and then you reside facing that,” noted one resident, motioning at the rusted barricade. Local Bonds Amidst Challenges Within Centre4, workers emphasise that support does not recognise addresses. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” explained director Tracey Good. Despite ranking in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate retains a fierce loyalty and sense of community among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, the neighbouring area is classified among the least deprived 10% nationally. Echoes Elsewhere: Stanhope in Ashford This pattern is repeated nationally. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of neighbourhoods in England. It is closely bordered by large detached homes built in the 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and living environment. “They might have bigger houses, but here there’s more community,” commented Phil Hockley, aged 63. “You’ll probably find many people over there don’t even speak to each other.” The financial gap is evident: an average family home sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while on the other side equivalent properties fetch about £410,000. Residents speak of a palpable feeling of neglect. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” stated resident Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our amenities have slowly been taken away, and most of the issues we face here are to do with poverty.” The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a portrait of an increasingly divided society, where prosperity and deprivation are frequently awkwardly in close proximity.