🔗 Share this article The Rising ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Affluence and Deprivation Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in Across England. Within a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants occupy properties just several yards from their more affluent neighbours in nearby Scartho. A six-foot-tall barricade physically divides the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off roads and walkways that previously linked them. “It’s the divide between rich and poor,” said a resident, 37. “It has been there since I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll take it down because I suspect they’ll want to associate with us.” A Stark Pattern Across the Country Analysis of official figures reveals how deep disparity can run, sometimes across nothing more than a short distance of tarmac, a line of hedges or a barrier. Decades of austerity and lack of funding mean a majority of councils now contain a neighbourhood classified as one of the most deprived in the nation. The spread of poverty has coincided with a significant rise in the number of places where disadvantaged and well-off residents find themselves living side by side. In 2019, only 65 of the poorest areas bordered one of the least deprived. That figure rose to 119 in the latest data. A Barrier Which Divides More Than Land In Grimsby, the divide is the most pronounced in the country and painfully apparent. The wall transcends being just a metaphorical divide; it creates tangible difficulties for daily routines. School runs that should take a quarter of an hour turn into an hour-long journey. Reaching key services like grocery stores, educational facilities and employment centres is hindered. The site often sees antisocial behaviour, with reports of litter being thrown over the wall and other problems. “People strive to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one resident, motioning at the rusted metal wall. Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Hardship Within a local community centre, staff emphasise that need transcends addresses. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” said chief executive Tracey Good. Regardless of ranking in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, the estate retains a strong sense and sense of togetherness among its inhabitants. By contrast, Scartho is classified among the least deprived 10% overall. Echoes Elsewhere: An Estate in Kent This pattern is repeated nationally. 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 detached homes built in the early 2000s that are in the top 10% for employment and living environment. “They may possess larger properties, but here there’s more community,” said a long-term resident, aged 63. “You’ll probably find many people over there don’t even speak to each other.” The financial divide is clear: an typical family home sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while on the other side equivalent properties go for about £410,000. Locals describe a tangible sense of neglect. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” said resident Susan. “In this area our facilities have slowly been taken away, and the majority of the community problems here are related to financial hardship.” The increase in these ‘inequality borders’ paints a portrait of an increasingly segregated society, where wealth and need are frequently uncomfortably close neighbours.
Within a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants occupy properties just several yards from their more affluent neighbours in nearby Scartho. A six-foot-tall barricade physically divides the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off roads and walkways that previously linked them. “It’s the divide between rich and poor,” said a resident, 37. “It has been there since I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll take it down because I suspect they’ll want to associate with us.” A Stark Pattern Across the Country Analysis of official figures reveals how deep disparity can run, sometimes across nothing more than a short distance of tarmac, a line of hedges or a barrier. Decades of austerity and lack of funding mean a majority of councils now contain a neighbourhood classified as one of the most deprived in the nation. The spread of poverty has coincided with a significant rise in the number of places where disadvantaged and well-off residents find themselves living side by side. In 2019, only 65 of the poorest areas bordered one of the least deprived. That figure rose to 119 in the latest data. A Barrier Which Divides More Than Land In Grimsby, the divide is the most pronounced in the country and painfully apparent. The wall transcends being just a metaphorical divide; it creates tangible difficulties for daily routines. School runs that should take a quarter of an hour turn into an hour-long journey. Reaching key services like grocery stores, educational facilities and employment centres is hindered. The site often sees antisocial behaviour, with reports of litter being thrown over the wall and other problems. “People strive to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one resident, motioning at the rusted metal wall. Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Hardship Within a local community centre, staff emphasise that need transcends addresses. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” said chief executive Tracey Good. Regardless of ranking in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, the estate retains a strong sense and sense of togetherness among its inhabitants. By contrast, Scartho is classified among the least deprived 10% overall. Echoes Elsewhere: An Estate in Kent This pattern is repeated nationally. 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 detached homes built in the early 2000s that are in the top 10% for employment and living environment. “They may possess larger properties, but here there’s more community,” said a long-term resident, aged 63. “You’ll probably find many people over there don’t even speak to each other.” The financial divide is clear: an typical family home sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while on the other side equivalent properties go for about £410,000. Locals describe a tangible sense of neglect. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” said resident Susan. “In this area our facilities have slowly been taken away, and the majority of the community problems here are related to financial hardship.” The increase in these ‘inequality borders’ paints a portrait of an increasingly segregated society, where wealth and need are frequently uncomfortably close neighbours.