A Growing ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Affluence and Hardship Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in England.
In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants live in homes only a few metres from their wealthier neighbours in nearby Scartho village. One six-foot-tall wall physically divides the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off roads and walkways that once connected them.
“This is the divide between rich and poor,” remarked a resident, aged 37. “It’s been like this for as long as I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll bring it down because I suspect they’ll want to mix with us.”
A Stark National Picture
Analysis of government statistics reveals the extent of disparity often exists, sometimes across little more than a short distance of asphalt, a line of hedges or a barrier. Decades of austerity and lack of funding mean almost two-thirds of councils now have a neighbourhood ranking as one of the most deprived in the country.
This geographical widening of poverty has led to a sharp increase in the number of places where deprived and well-off people find themselves as immediate neighbours. Just a few years ago, only 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods bordered one of the wealthiest. This number increased to 119 in the most recent data.
A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Land
In Grimsby, the gap is the biggest in the UK and starkly obvious. The barrier is much more than a metaphorical division; it causes very real difficulties for daily routines.
- The school commute that ought to take a quarter of an hour turn into an hour-long journey.
- Access to key services like grocery stores, schools and employment centres is hindered.
- The site can attract antisocial behaviour, with instances of rubbish being dumped over the wall and other issues.
“People strive to have a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one local, gesturing towards the rusted metal wall.
Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Hardship
At a local community centre, workers stress that need does not recognise postcodes. “Where you live is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” said chief executive a community leader.
Despite ranking in the lowest 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, the estate retains a strong sense and feeling of togetherness among its residents. Meanwhile, Scartho is classified among the least deprived 10% overall.
Echoes Elsewhere: Stanhope in Ashford
This pattern is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of neighbourhoods in England. It is closely bordered by large detached homes built in the 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for employment and quality of surroundings.
“They might have larger properties, but here there’s more community,” commented Phil Hockley, 63. “You’ll probably find many people over there never even talk to each other.”
The economic gap is clear: an typical family home sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while on the other side equivalent properties fetch about £410,000.
Locals speak of a tangible sense of being overlooked. “This part of the community gets ignored,” said resident Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our amenities have gradually disappeared, and most of the issues we face here are related to financial hardship.”
The increase in these ‘inequality borders’ presents a picture of an ever more segregated society, where wealth and need are frequently uncomfortably close neighbours.