🔗 Share this article The Growing ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Prosperity and Hardship Are Found Cheek by Jowl in Across England. Within Nunsthorpe, inhabitants live in homes just a few metres from their wealthier counterparts in nearby Scartho. One 1.8-metre-high barricade physically separates the two communities in the town of Grimsby, blocking off paths and streets that once linked 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 doubt they’ll bring it down because I don’t think they’ll want to mix with us.” An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country Analysis of official figures reveals the extent of disparity can run, sometimes over little more than a few metres of asphalt, a hedge row or a barrier. Years of austerity and lack of funding mean almost two-thirds of local authorities now have a neighbourhood ranking as one of the poorest in the country. This spread of poverty has led to a sharp rise in the number of places where deprived and well-off people find themselves as immediate neighbours. In 2019, only 65 of the most deprived areas adjoined one of the wealthiest. This number increased to 119 in the most recent data. A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Space In Grimsby, the gap is the biggest in the UK and starkly obvious. The barrier transcends being just a metaphorical division; it creates tangible problems for daily routines. School runs that should take 15-20 minutes become an sixty-minute journey. Reaching key services like grocery stores, schools and employment centres is made more difficult. The site can attract vandalism and loitering, with reports of litter being thrown over the wall and other issues. “You try to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one local, gesturing towards the rusted metal wall. Local Bonds Amidst Hardship Within a local community centre, workers stress that support transcends addresses. “Where you live is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” said chief executive a community leader. Regardless of being placed in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe retains a fierce loyalty and sense of community among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, Scartho is classified among the most prosperous 10% overall. Echoes Elsewhere: An Estate in Kent This phenomenon is repeated nationally. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of neighbourhoods in the country. It is immediately adjacent by spacious detached homes built in the 2000s that sit in the top 10% for employment and living environment. “They might have larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” said Phil Hockley, aged 63. “It’s likely a lot of people over there don’t even speak to each other.” The financial gap is clear: an average family home sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide comparable homes fetch about £410,000. Residents speak of a tangible sense of neglect. “This part of the community gets ignored,” said holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our amenities have slowly been taken away, and most of the community problems here are related to poverty.” The rise in these ‘inequality borders’ presents a picture of an increasingly divided society, where wealth and deprivation are frequently awkwardly in close proximity.
Within Nunsthorpe, inhabitants live in homes just a few metres from their wealthier counterparts in nearby Scartho. One 1.8-metre-high barricade physically separates the two communities in the town of Grimsby, blocking off paths and streets that once linked 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 doubt they’ll bring it down because I don’t think they’ll want to mix with us.” An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country Analysis of official figures reveals the extent of disparity can run, sometimes over little more than a few metres of asphalt, a hedge row or a barrier. Years of austerity and lack of funding mean almost two-thirds of local authorities now have a neighbourhood ranking as one of the poorest in the country. This spread of poverty has led to a sharp rise in the number of places where deprived and well-off people find themselves as immediate neighbours. In 2019, only 65 of the most deprived areas adjoined one of the wealthiest. This number increased to 119 in the most recent data. A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Space In Grimsby, the gap is the biggest in the UK and starkly obvious. The barrier transcends being just a metaphorical division; it creates tangible problems for daily routines. School runs that should take 15-20 minutes become an sixty-minute journey. Reaching key services like grocery stores, schools and employment centres is made more difficult. The site can attract vandalism and loitering, with reports of litter being thrown over the wall and other issues. “You try to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one local, gesturing towards the rusted metal wall. Local Bonds Amidst Hardship Within a local community centre, workers stress that support transcends addresses. “Where you live is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” said chief executive a community leader. Regardless of being placed in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe retains a fierce loyalty and sense of community among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, Scartho is classified among the most prosperous 10% overall. Echoes Elsewhere: An Estate in Kent This phenomenon is repeated nationally. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of neighbourhoods in the country. It is immediately adjacent by spacious detached homes built in the 2000s that sit in the top 10% for employment and living environment. “They might have larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” said Phil Hockley, aged 63. “It’s likely a lot of people over there don’t even speak to each other.” The financial gap is clear: an average family home sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide comparable homes fetch about £410,000. Residents speak of a tangible sense of neglect. “This part of the community gets ignored,” said holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our amenities have slowly been taken away, and most of the community problems here are related to poverty.” The rise in these ‘inequality borders’ presents a picture of an increasingly divided society, where wealth and deprivation are frequently awkwardly in close proximity.