A Rising ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: How Affluence and Hardship Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in England.
In Nunsthorpe, residents occupy properties just a few metres from their wealthier counterparts in the adjacent Scartho. One six-foot-tall wall physically separates the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off paths and streets that once connected them.
“It’s the posh-poor divide,” said a resident, aged 37. “It has been there since I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll take it down because I don’t think they’ll want to associate with us.”
An Increasingly Common National Picture
Data from official statistics shows how deep disparity often exists, sometimes over little more than a short distance of tarmac, a hedge row or a barrier. Decades of austerity and underinvestment mean almost two-thirds of councils now have a locality ranking as one of the most deprived in the country.
The geographical widening of poverty has coincided with a significant rise in the quantity of locations where disadvantaged and affluent people end up living side by side. Just a few years ago, only 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods adjoined one of the wealthiest. This number increased to 119 in the most recent data.
A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Space
In Grimsby, the divide is the biggest in the UK and starkly apparent. The barrier transcends being just a metaphorical divide; it creates very real difficulties for everyday life.
- The school commute that should take a quarter of an hour become an hour-long detour.
- Access to key services like supermarkets, educational facilities and employment centres is hindered.
- The area can attract vandalism and loitering, with instances of rubbish being dumped over the wall and related issues.
“You try to maintain a nice house and nice garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one local, gesturing towards the corroded barricade.
Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Hardship
Within Centre4, workers stress that need does not recognise postcodes. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” said director a community leader.
Despite ranking in the lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe boasts a fierce loyalty and feeling of togetherness among its residents. Meanwhile, Scartho is classified among the least deprived 10% overall.
Echoes Elsewhere: Stanhope in Ashford
This phenomenon is mirrored nationally. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of neighbourhoods in the country. It is immediately adjacent by spacious houses built in the 2000s that are in the top 10% for employment and living environment.
“They may possess larger properties, but here there’s more community,” commented Phil Hockley, 63. “You’ll probably find many people over there never even talk to each other.”
The financial divide is evident: an typical family home sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while on the other side equivalent homes go for about £410,000.
Residents speak of a palpable feeling of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” said resident Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our facilities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the issues we face here are related to poverty.”
The increase in these ‘inequality borders’ presents a portrait of an ever more divided society, where prosperity and deprivation are frequently awkwardly in close proximity.
