🔗 Share this article The Rising ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Affluence and Hardship Are Found Side by Side in Across England. In Nunsthorpe, inhabitants occupy properties just a few metres from their wealthier counterparts in the adjacent Scartho village. A six-foot-tall wall literally divides the two areas in the town of Grimsby, blocking off paths and streets that previously linked them. “This is the divide between rich and poor,” said Serenity Colley, aged 37. “It’s been like this for as long as I’ve known. I doubt they’ll bring it down because I don’t think they’ll want to associate with us.” An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country Analysis of government figures shows the extent of inequality often exists, sometimes over nothing more than a few metres of asphalt, a hedge row or a wall. Years of austerity and lack of funding have led to a situation where a majority of local authorities now contain a locality ranking as one of the poorest in the nation. This geographical widening of poverty has coincided with a sharp increase in the quantity of locations where deprived and affluent people find themselves living side by side. In 2019, only 65 of the most deprived areas bordered one of the wealthiest. This number increased to 119 in the latest data. A Barrier Which Divides More Than Land In Grimsby, the gap is the biggest in the country and painfully apparent. The wall transcends being just a metaphorical divide; it creates very real problems for daily routines. School runs that should take a quarter of an hour turn into an hour-long detour. Access to key services like supermarkets, educational facilities and employment centres is made more difficult. The area often sees vandalism and loitering, with reports of litter being thrown over the wall and other issues. “People strive to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one resident, gesturing towards the rusted metal wall. Local Bonds Amidst Challenges Within a local community centre, workers emphasise that support transcends addresses. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” said chief executive Tracey Good. Regardless of ranking in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe boasts a fierce loyalty and sense of community among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, Scartho is classified among the most prosperous 10% nationally. Echoes Elsewhere: Stanhope in Ashford This pattern is mirrored nationally. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in the country. It is closely bordered by spacious houses built in the early 2000s that are in the top 10% for job prospects and living environment. “They might have bigger houses, but here there’s more community,” said Phil Hockley, aged 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people in the new builds never even talk to each other.” The economic divide is clear: an typical family home costs about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide comparable properties fetch about £410,000. Residents speak of a palpable sense of being overlooked. “This part of the community is neglected,” said holistic health worker Susan. “In this area our facilities have gradually disappeared, and most of the community problems here are to do with financial hardship.” The rise in these ‘inequality borders’ paints a portrait of an increasingly segregated England, where prosperity and deprivation are frequently uncomfortably close neighbours.
In Nunsthorpe, inhabitants occupy properties just a few metres from their wealthier counterparts in the adjacent Scartho village. A six-foot-tall wall literally divides the two areas in the town of Grimsby, blocking off paths and streets that previously linked them. “This is the divide between rich and poor,” said Serenity Colley, aged 37. “It’s been like this for as long as I’ve known. I doubt they’ll bring it down because I don’t think they’ll want to associate with us.” An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country Analysis of government figures shows the extent of inequality often exists, sometimes over nothing more than a few metres of asphalt, a hedge row or a wall. Years of austerity and lack of funding have led to a situation where a majority of local authorities now contain a locality ranking as one of the poorest in the nation. This geographical widening of poverty has coincided with a sharp increase in the quantity of locations where deprived and affluent people find themselves living side by side. In 2019, only 65 of the most deprived areas bordered one of the wealthiest. This number increased to 119 in the latest data. A Barrier Which Divides More Than Land In Grimsby, the gap is the biggest in the country and painfully apparent. The wall transcends being just a metaphorical divide; it creates very real problems for daily routines. School runs that should take a quarter of an hour turn into an hour-long detour. Access to key services like supermarkets, educational facilities and employment centres is made more difficult. The area often sees vandalism and loitering, with reports of litter being thrown over the wall and other issues. “People strive to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one resident, gesturing towards the rusted metal wall. Local Bonds Amidst Challenges Within a local community centre, workers emphasise that support transcends addresses. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” said chief executive Tracey Good. Regardless of ranking in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe boasts a fierce loyalty and sense of community among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, Scartho is classified among the most prosperous 10% nationally. Echoes Elsewhere: Stanhope in Ashford This pattern is mirrored nationally. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in the country. It is closely bordered by spacious houses built in the early 2000s that are in the top 10% for job prospects and living environment. “They might have bigger houses, but here there’s more community,” said Phil Hockley, aged 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people in the new builds never even talk to each other.” The economic divide is clear: an typical family home costs about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide comparable properties fetch about £410,000. Residents speak of a palpable sense of being overlooked. “This part of the community is neglected,” said holistic health worker Susan. “In this area our facilities have gradually disappeared, and most of the community problems here are to do with financial hardship.” The rise in these ‘inequality borders’ paints a portrait of an increasingly segregated England, where prosperity and deprivation are frequently uncomfortably close neighbours.