A Growing ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Prosperity and Deprivation Are Found Side by Side in Across England.

Within Nunsthorpe, residents occupy homes just several yards from their wealthier counterparts in nearby Scartho village. A 1.8-metre-high wall literally divides the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off paths and streets that previously connected them.

“This is the divide between rich and poor,” remarked a resident, aged 37. “It has been there since I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll take it down because I suspect they’ll want to mix with us.”

An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country

Data from official figures shows the extent of disparity often exists, at times across little more than a short distance of asphalt, a line of hedges or a wall. Decades of budget cuts and lack of funding mean almost two-thirds of local authorities now contain a locality classified as one of the most deprived in the country.

This spread of poverty has coincided with a significant rise in the number of locations where disadvantaged and well-off people find themselves as immediate neighbours. In 2019, only 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods adjoined one of the least deprived. That figure rose to 119 in the latest data.

A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Land

At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the biggest in the UK and painfully apparent. The barrier transcends being just a symbolic division; it creates tangible problems for everyday life.

• The school commute that ought to take a quarter of an hour turn into an hour-long journey.
• Access to important amenities like grocery stores, educational facilities and employment centres is hindered.
• The site can attract vandalism and loitering, with instances of litter being thrown over the wall and other problems.

“You try to have a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one local, motioning at the rusted barricade.

Community Spirit Amidst Challenges

At Centre4, workers emphasise that support transcends addresses. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” explained director a community leader.

Regardless of ranking in the lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate retains a strong sense and feeling of community among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, Scartho ranks among the least deprived 10% overall.

A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford

This phenomenon is mirrored nationally. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a mid-century housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of neighbourhoods in England. It is closely bordered by large houses built in the 2000s that are in the top 10% for job prospects and quality of surroundings.

“They might have bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” commented Phil Hockley, 63. “You’ll probably find many people in the new builds never even talk to each other.”

The financial divide is evident: an average family home sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while on the other side equivalent homes fetch about £410,000.

Residents describe a tangible sense of neglect. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” stated holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our facilities have slowly been taken away, and the majority of the issues we face here are to do with financial hardship.”

The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a picture of an increasingly divided society, where prosperity and deprivation are often awkwardly in close proximity.