A Growing ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: The Way Prosperity and Deprivation Are Found Side by Side in Across England.
In Nunsthorpe, inhabitants occupy properties just several yards from their wealthier neighbours in nearby Scartho village. A six-foot-tall wall literally separates the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off roads and walkways that previously linked them.
“It’s the posh-poor divide,” said Serenity Colley, 37. “It’s been like this since I’ve known. I doubt they’ll bring it down because I suspect they’ll want to mix with us.”
A Stark Pattern Across the Country
Analysis of official statistics reveals how deep inequality often exists, at times across nothing more than a few metres of tarmac, a hedge row or a barrier. Decades of budget cuts and lack of funding mean almost two-thirds of councils now have a neighbourhood classified as one of the most deprived in the nation.
This geographical widening of deprivation has led to a significant rise in the number of locations where disadvantaged and well-off people end up as immediate neighbours. In 2019, only 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods bordered one of the least deprived. That figure rose to 119 in the latest data.
A Wall That Does More Than Separate Space
At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the biggest in the country and painfully apparent. The wall transcends being just a symbolic divide; it causes very real difficulties for everyday life.
- The school commute that should take a quarter of an hour turn into an sixty-minute journey.
- Access to important amenities like supermarkets, schools and care homes is hindered.
- The site can attract vandalism and loitering, with reports of litter being thrown over the wall and other problems.
“You try to maintain a nice house and nice garden, and then you reside facing that,” noted one local, gesturing towards the rusted metal wall.
Community Spirit Against a Backdrop of Challenges
Within a local community centre, workers emphasise that need does not recognise postcodes. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” said chief executive a community leader.
Despite ranking in the lowest 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe retains a fierce loyalty and feeling of community among its inhabitants. By contrast, Scartho ranks among the most prosperous 10% overall.
A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent
This pattern is repeated 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 large houses built in the early 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and living environment.
“They may possess bigger houses, but here there’s more community,” commented Phil Hockley, aged 63. “You’ll probably find many people over there never even talk to each other.”
The economic divide is clear: an typical 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 feeling of being overlooked. “This part of the community gets ignored,” said holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our amenities have gradually disappeared, and most of the issues we face here are related to poverty.”
The increase in these ‘inequality borders’ paints a portrait of an ever more segregated society, where wealth and deprivation are frequently awkwardly close neighbours.
