🔗 Share this article The Growing ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: The Way Prosperity and Hardship Are Found Side by Side in England. In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, residents occupy properties only several yards from their more affluent neighbours in nearby Scartho village. A 1.8-metre-high barricade physically separates the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off paths and streets that previously connected them. “It’s the divide between rich and poor,” said Serenity Colley, 37. “It’s been like this since I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll bring it down because I don’t think they’ll want to mix with us.” An Increasingly Common National Picture Analysis of government figures shows the extent of disparity can run, at times across nothing more than a few metres of tarmac, a hedge row or a wall. Decades of austerity and underinvestment have led to a situation where a majority of local authorities now contain a locality ranking as one of the most deprived in the country. This geographical widening of deprivation has led to a significant rise in the quantity of places where disadvantaged and well-off people end up living side by side. In 2019, just 65 of the poorest areas bordered one of the wealthiest. That figure rose to 119 in the most recent data. A Wall That Divides More Than Land In Grimsby, the divide is the biggest in the UK and starkly apparent. The barrier transcends being just a symbolic divide; it creates tangible difficulties for everyday life. The school commute that ought to take 15-20 minutes become an sixty-minute journey. Access to important amenities like supermarkets, educational facilities and employment centres is hindered. The area often sees vandalism and loitering, with reports of litter being dumped over the wall and related issues. “People strive to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one resident, motioning at the rusted barricade. Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Hardship Within Centre4, workers stress that support does not recognise addresses. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” explained director Tracey Good. Despite being placed in the lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe retains a fierce loyalty and sense of togetherness among its residents. By contrast, the neighbouring area ranks among the most prosperous 10% nationally. A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford This phenomenon is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope area in Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of neighbourhoods in the country. It is immediately adjacent by large houses built in the 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for employment and quality of surroundings. “They may possess larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” said a long-term resident, 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.” The economic gap is clear: an average three-bedroom house costs about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while on the other side comparable homes go for about £410,000. Locals describe a palpable feeling of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” stated resident Susan. “Over here our facilities have slowly been taken away, and most of the community problems here are related to financial hardship.” The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a picture of an increasingly segregated society, where prosperity and deprivation are frequently uncomfortably in close proximity.
In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, residents occupy properties only several yards from their more affluent neighbours in nearby Scartho village. A 1.8-metre-high barricade physically separates the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off paths and streets that previously connected them. “It’s the divide between rich and poor,” said Serenity Colley, 37. “It’s been like this since I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll bring it down because I don’t think they’ll want to mix with us.” An Increasingly Common National Picture Analysis of government figures shows the extent of disparity can run, at times across nothing more than a few metres of tarmac, a hedge row or a wall. Decades of austerity and underinvestment have led to a situation where a majority of local authorities now contain a locality ranking as one of the most deprived in the country. This geographical widening of deprivation has led to a significant rise in the quantity of places where disadvantaged and well-off people end up living side by side. In 2019, just 65 of the poorest areas bordered one of the wealthiest. That figure rose to 119 in the most recent data. A Wall That Divides More Than Land In Grimsby, the divide is the biggest in the UK and starkly apparent. The barrier transcends being just a symbolic divide; it creates tangible difficulties for everyday life. The school commute that ought to take 15-20 minutes become an sixty-minute journey. Access to important amenities like supermarkets, educational facilities and employment centres is hindered. The area often sees vandalism and loitering, with reports of litter being dumped over the wall and related issues. “People strive to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one resident, motioning at the rusted barricade. Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Hardship Within Centre4, workers stress that support does not recognise addresses. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” explained director Tracey Good. Despite being placed in the lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe retains a fierce loyalty and sense of togetherness among its residents. By contrast, the neighbouring area ranks among the most prosperous 10% nationally. A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford This phenomenon is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope area in Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of neighbourhoods in the country. It is immediately adjacent by large houses built in the 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for employment and quality of surroundings. “They may possess larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” said a long-term resident, 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.” The economic gap is clear: an average three-bedroom house costs about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while on the other side comparable homes go for about £410,000. Locals describe a palpable feeling of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” stated resident Susan. “Over here our facilities have slowly been taken away, and most of the community problems here are related to financial hardship.” The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a picture of an increasingly segregated society, where prosperity and deprivation are frequently uncomfortably in close proximity.