The Rising ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Affluence and Deprivation Are Found Side by Side in Across England.
Within a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, residents occupy homes just several yards from their wealthier counterparts in nearby Scartho. One 1.8-metre-high barricade physically divides the two communities in the town of Grimsby, sealing off roads and walkways that once linked them.
“This is the posh-poor divide,” remarked a resident, aged 37. “It has been there since I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll bring it down because I suspect they’ll want to mix with us.”
A Stark National Picture
Data from official figures reveals the extent of inequality can run, at times across little more than a few metres of asphalt, a hedge row 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 ranking as one of the poorest in the nation.
The spread of poverty has led to a significant rise in the number of locations where deprived and affluent people end up as immediate neighbours. In 2019, only 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods bordered one of the wealthiest. This number increased to 119 in the latest data.
A Wall That Divides More Than Space
At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the most pronounced in the country and starkly apparent. The barrier transcends being just a symbolic division; it causes very real problems for daily routines.
- School runs that ought to take a quarter of an hour turn into an hour-long detour.
- Reaching key amenities like supermarkets, educational facilities and employment centres is hindered.
- The site can attract antisocial behaviour, with reports of rubbish being dumped over the wall and related issues.
“People strive to maintain a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one local, motioning at the rusted metal wall.
Local Bonds Amidst Hardship
At Centre4, workers stress that need does not recognise postcodes. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” explained director Tracey Good.
Regardless of ranking in the lowest 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe boasts a fierce loyalty and feeling of togetherness among its residents. By contrast, Scartho ranks among the least deprived 10% overall.
A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent
This phenomenon is repeated across the country. The Stanhope area in Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of neighbourhoods in the country. It is closely bordered by spacious detached homes built in the early 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for employment and living environment.
“They might have bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” commented a long-term resident, aged 63. “It’s likely a lot of people over there never even talk to each other.”
The economic gap is clear: an average family home costs about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while on the other side equivalent homes fetch about £410,000.
Locals describe a tangible feeling of being overlooked. “This part of the community is neglected,” stated holistic health worker Susan. “Over here our amenities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the issues we face here are related to financial hardship.”
The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a portrait of an increasingly divided England, where wealth and deprivation are often uncomfortably in close proximity.
