The Rising ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Prosperity and Deprivation Now Sit Side by Side in England.

In Nunsthorpe, residents live in homes just several yards from their more affluent counterparts in nearby Scartho village. One 1.8-metre-high barricade physically separates the two communities in the town of Grimsby, sealing off paths and streets that once connected them.

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

A Stark National Picture

Analysis of official figures reveals how deep inequality often exists, at times over nothing more than a short distance of asphalt, a line of hedges or a barrier. Decades of budget cuts and lack of funding have led to a situation where a majority of local authorities now contain a neighbourhood ranking as one of the most deprived in the country.

The geographical widening of deprivation has led to a significant increase in the quantity of places where disadvantaged and affluent people end up living side by side. In 2019, only 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods bordered one of the least deprived. This number rose to 119 in the latest data.

A Wall That Divides More Than Space

In Grimsby, the divide is the most pronounced in the country and painfully obvious. The barrier is much more than a metaphorical divide; it causes very real difficulties for everyday life.

• The school commute that ought to take 15-20 minutes become an hour-long journey.
• Reaching key amenities like supermarkets, educational facilities and care homes is made more difficult.
• The site can attract antisocial behaviour, with instances of rubbish being thrown over the wall and related issues.

“People strive to maintain a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one local, gesturing towards the corroded metal wall.

Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Challenges

Within a local community centre, workers stress that support does not recognise postcodes. “Where you live is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” explained director a community leader.

Despite ranking in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate boasts a strong sense and sense of community among its residents. By contrast, Scartho ranks among the most prosperous 10% nationally.

Echoes Elsewhere: An Estate in Kent

This pattern is repeated nationally. The Stanhope area in Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of neighbourhoods in the country. It is immediately adjacent by large houses built in the 2000s that sit in the top 10% for employment and quality of surroundings.

“They may possess bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” commented a long-term resident, 63. “It’s likely many people over there don’t even speak to each other.”

The financial divide is evident: an typical family home sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide comparable homes go for about £410,000.

Residents speak of a tangible sense of neglect. “This part of the community is neglected,” stated resident Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our amenities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the community problems here are related to poverty.”

The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a portrait of an increasingly divided England, where prosperity and deprivation are frequently awkwardly close neighbours.