A Rising ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Prosperity and Deprivation Are Found Side by Side in England.
Within Nunsthorpe, inhabitants live in homes just several yards from their more affluent neighbours in the adjacent Scartho. One six-foot-tall wall literally separates the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off paths and streets that previously linked them.
“It’s the divide between rich and poor,” said Serenity Colley, 37. “It’s been like this for as long as I’ve known. I doubt they’ll bring it down because I suspect they’ll want to associate with us.”
A Stark National Picture
Data from government statistics shows how deep disparity often exists, sometimes across nothing more than a short distance of asphalt, a hedge row or a wall. Decades of austerity and lack of funding have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of councils now have a neighbourhood classified as one of the most deprived in the nation.
The spread of deprivation has coincided with a sharp increase in the number of locations where disadvantaged and affluent residents find themselves as immediate neighbours. In 2019, only 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods adjoined one of the least deprived. That figure increased to 119 in the most recent data.
A Wall That Divides More Than Space
At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the most pronounced in the country and starkly apparent. The wall is much more than a symbolic divide; it causes tangible problems for everyday life.
- School runs that should take 15-20 minutes become an hour-long detour.
- Access to key amenities like supermarkets, schools and employment centres is made more difficult.
- The site can attract antisocial behaviour, with reports of litter being thrown over the wall and other issues.
“You try to maintain a nice house and nice garden, and then you reside facing that,” noted one local, motioning at the corroded barricade.
Local Bonds Amidst Hardship
At Centre4, staff stress that need does not recognise addresses. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” explained chief executive Tracey Good.
Despite being placed in the lowest 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe retains a strong sense and feeling of togetherness among its inhabitants. By contrast, Scartho is classified among the most prosperous 10% nationally.
A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford
This pattern is repeated nationally. The Stanhope area in Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the 10% most deprived of neighbourhoods in the country. It is closely bordered by spacious houses built in the 2000s that are in the top 10% for job prospects and quality of surroundings.
“They may possess bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” commented a long-term resident, 63. “You’ll probably find many people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.”
The economic gap is evident: an typical three-bedroom house costs about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide comparable properties go for about £410,000.
Locals speak of a palpable feeling of neglect. “This part of the community is neglected,” stated resident Susan. “Over here our amenities have slowly been taken away, and most of the community problems here are related to poverty.”
The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a picture of an increasingly divided society, where prosperity and deprivation are often uncomfortably close neighbours.