The Growing ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: How Affluence and Deprivation Are Found Side by Side in England.
In Nunsthorpe, residents live in properties just several yards from their more affluent neighbours in the adjacent Scartho. One 1.8-metre-high wall literally separates the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off paths and streets that previously connected them.
“This is the divide between rich and poor,” remarked Serenity Colley, 37. “It’s been like this for as long as I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll take it down because I suspect they’ll want to associate with us.”
An Increasingly Common National Picture
Analysis of government figures shows the extent of inequality can run, sometimes across little more than a short distance of tarmac, a hedge row or a wall. Decades of budget cuts and lack of funding have led to a situation where a majority of councils now have a locality ranking as one of the poorest in the nation.
This geographical widening of deprivation has coincided with a sharp rise in the number of locations where disadvantaged and affluent residents end up as immediate neighbours. In 2019, just 65 of the poorest areas adjoined one of the least deprived. This number rose 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 painfully obvious. The wall is much more than a symbolic division; it creates tangible problems for daily routines.
- The school commute that should take a quarter of an hour become an hour-long detour.
- Reaching key amenities like supermarkets, educational facilities and employment centres is hindered.
- The area can attract vandalism and loitering, with instances of litter being dumped over the wall and other issues.
“You try to maintain a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one resident, motioning at the corroded barricade.
Local Bonds Amidst Hardship
Within Centre4, workers stress that support does not recognise postcodes. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” explained director a community leader.
Despite being placed in the lowest 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe boasts a strong sense and sense of togetherness among its residents. Meanwhile, Scartho is classified among the least deprived 10% overall.
Echoes Elsewhere: Stanhope in Ashford
This phenomenon is repeated across the country. The Stanhope estate in Ashford, Kent, a mid-century housing development, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in England. It is closely bordered by large houses built in the early 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for employment and living environment.
“They might have bigger houses, but here there’s more community,” commented Phil Hockley, 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people over there don’t even speak to each other.”
The economic divide is clear: an typical family home costs about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide comparable properties go for about £410,000.
Locals describe a tangible feeling of being overlooked. “This part of the community is neglected,” stated resident Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our facilities have slowly been taken away, and the majority of the community problems here are related to poverty.”
The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a picture of an ever more divided society, where prosperity and need are often awkwardly in close proximity.
