A Growing ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: The Way Affluence and Hardship Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in England.
In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, residents live in homes just several yards from their more affluent neighbours in nearby Scartho village. One 1.8-metre-high wall literally divides the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off roads and walkways that previously connected them.
“This is the posh-poor divide,” said Serenity Colley, aged 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.”
A Stark Pattern Across the Country
Analysis of government figures reveals the extent of inequality often exists, sometimes over little more than a few metres of tarmac, a line of hedges or a barrier. Decades of austerity and lack of funding have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of councils now contain a locality classified as one of the most deprived in the country.
The geographical widening of poverty has coincided with a significant increase in the quantity of locations where disadvantaged and affluent residents find themselves living side by side. In 2019, only 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods adjoined one of the wealthiest. That figure rose to 119 in the latest data.
A Wall That Does More Than Separate Land
At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the most pronounced in the UK and painfully obvious. The wall transcends being just a symbolic division; it creates tangible problems for everyday life.
- School runs that ought to take 15-20 minutes become an hour-long journey.
- Reaching important amenities like supermarkets, educational facilities and care homes is made more difficult.
- The area can attract vandalism and loitering, with instances of litter being thrown 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 barricade.
Community Spirit Against a Backdrop of Hardship
Within a local community centre, workers emphasise that need does not recognise postcodes. “Where you live is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” explained director a community leader.
Despite being placed in the lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe retains a strong sense and feeling of community among its inhabitants. By contrast, Scartho ranks among the least deprived 10% nationally.
A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent
This phenomenon is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in the country. It is immediately adjacent by large detached homes built in the early 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for employment and quality of surroundings.
“They may possess bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” said Phil Hockley, aged 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people over there don’t even speak to each other.”
The economic divide is clear: an average 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 feeling of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” said resident Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our amenities have slowly been taken away, and the majority of the issues we face here are related to poverty.”
The rise in these ‘inequality borders’ paints a picture of an increasingly segregated England, where wealth and need are frequently uncomfortably in close proximity.
