🔗 Share this article A Growing ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: The Way Affluence and Hardship Are Found Cheek by Jowl in Across England. In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants live in properties only several yards from their wealthier neighbours in nearby Scartho village. One six-foot-tall wall physically separates the two areas in the town of Grimsby, sealing off paths and streets that once linked them. “It’s the divide between rich and poor,” said Serenity Colley, aged 37. “It has been there for as long as I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll take it down because I don’t think they’ll want to mix with us.” A Stark National Picture Data from government statistics shows the extent of disparity can run, sometimes over little more than a few metres of tarmac, a line of hedges or a barrier. Years of austerity and lack of funding have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of councils now have a locality classified as one of the poorest in the nation. The spread of deprivation has led to a sharp rise in the quantity of locations where disadvantaged and affluent people end up living side by side. Just a few years ago, just 65 of the poorest areas adjoined one of the wealthiest. This number rose to 119 in the latest data. A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Space At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the biggest in the country and starkly apparent. The wall transcends being just a metaphorical divide; it causes very real difficulties for everyday life. School runs that ought to take 15-20 minutes become an hour-long detour. Reaching key services like grocery stores, schools and employment centres is made more difficult. The site often sees vandalism and loitering, with instances of litter being thrown over the wall and other problems. “People strive to have a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one resident, motioning at the rusted metal wall. Local Bonds Amidst Hardship At Centre4, staff emphasise that need does not recognise postcodes. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” explained director a community leader. Regardless of ranking in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe retains a fierce loyalty and feeling of togetherness among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, the neighbouring area ranks among the least deprived 10% overall. A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent This phenomenon is mirrored nationally. The Stanhope estate in Ashford, Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in the country. It is closely bordered by spacious houses built in the early 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and quality of surroundings. “They might have larger properties, but here there’s more community,” commented Phil Hockley, aged 63. “You’ll probably find many people in the new builds never even talk to each other.” The financial gap is evident: an average family home sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide equivalent homes go for about £410,000. Residents speak of a tangible sense of neglect. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” said holistic health worker Susan. “Over here our amenities have slowly been taken away, and most of the community problems here are related to financial hardship.” The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a portrait of an increasingly divided society, where prosperity and deprivation are often uncomfortably in close proximity.
In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants live in properties only several yards from their wealthier neighbours in nearby Scartho village. One six-foot-tall wall physically separates the two areas in the town of Grimsby, sealing off paths and streets that once linked them. “It’s the divide between rich and poor,” said Serenity Colley, aged 37. “It has been there for as long as I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll take it down because I don’t think they’ll want to mix with us.” A Stark National Picture Data from government statistics shows the extent of disparity can run, sometimes over little more than a few metres of tarmac, a line of hedges or a barrier. Years of austerity and lack of funding have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of councils now have a locality classified as one of the poorest in the nation. The spread of deprivation has led to a sharp rise in the quantity of locations where disadvantaged and affluent people end up living side by side. Just a few years ago, just 65 of the poorest areas adjoined one of the wealthiest. This number rose to 119 in the latest data. A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Space At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the biggest in the country and starkly apparent. The wall transcends being just a metaphorical divide; it causes very real difficulties for everyday life. School runs that ought to take 15-20 minutes become an hour-long detour. Reaching key services like grocery stores, schools and employment centres is made more difficult. The site often sees vandalism and loitering, with instances of litter being thrown over the wall and other problems. “People strive to have a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one resident, motioning at the rusted metal wall. Local Bonds Amidst Hardship At Centre4, staff emphasise that need does not recognise postcodes. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” explained director a community leader. Regardless of ranking in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe retains a fierce loyalty and feeling of togetherness among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, the neighbouring area ranks among the least deprived 10% overall. A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent This phenomenon is mirrored nationally. The Stanhope estate in Ashford, Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in the country. It is closely bordered by spacious houses built in the early 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and quality of surroundings. “They might have larger properties, but here there’s more community,” commented Phil Hockley, aged 63. “You’ll probably find many people in the new builds never even talk to each other.” The financial gap is evident: an average family home sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide equivalent homes go for about £410,000. Residents speak of a tangible sense of neglect. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” said holistic health worker Susan. “Over here our amenities have slowly been taken away, and most of the community problems here are related to financial hardship.” The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a portrait of an increasingly divided society, where prosperity and deprivation are often uncomfortably in close proximity.