The Growing ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Affluence and Deprivation Are Found Side by Side in Across England.
In Nunsthorpe, residents live in properties just a few metres from their more affluent neighbours in the adjacent Scartho. A six-foot-tall barricade physically separates the two areas in the town of Grimsby, blocking off roads and walkways that previously connected them.
“This is the posh-poor divide,” said Serenity Colley, 37. “It has been there since I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll bring it down because I suspect they’ll want to associate with us.”
A Stark National Picture
Data from government figures shows the extent of inequality often exists, sometimes across little more than a few metres of tarmac, a hedge row or a wall. Years of budget cuts and underinvestment have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of councils now contain a locality ranking as one of the most deprived in the nation.
This geographical widening of deprivation has coincided with a significant rise in the quantity of locations where deprived and well-off people find themselves as immediate neighbours. In 2019, just 65 of the most deprived areas adjoined one of the wealthiest. That figure rose to 119 in the latest data.
A Barrier Which Divides More Than Space
At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the biggest in the UK and starkly apparent. The wall is much more than a symbolic division; it causes very real difficulties for daily routines.
- The school commute that ought to take a quarter of an hour become an sixty-minute detour.
- Reaching important services like supermarkets, educational facilities and care homes is made more difficult.
- The area often sees antisocial behaviour, with reports of litter being dumped over the wall and related issues.
“You try to have a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one resident, motioning at the corroded barricade.
Community Spirit Against a Backdrop of Hardship
Within Centre4, staff emphasise that need transcends addresses. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” said director a community leader.
Despite ranking in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe retains a fierce loyalty and feeling of togetherness among its inhabitants. By contrast, Scartho ranks among the least deprived 10% overall.
A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent
This pattern is repeated nationally. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in England. It is closely bordered by spacious houses built in the early 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and living environment.
“They may possess larger properties, but here there’s more community,” said Phil Hockley, 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people over there never even talk to each other.”
The financial divide is clear: an typical three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide comparable properties 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 the majority of the issues we face here are to do with financial hardship.”
The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a portrait of an ever more divided England, where prosperity and need are frequently uncomfortably in close proximity.
