The Growing ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: The Way Affluence and Hardship Now Sit Side by Side in Across England.
Within Nunsthorpe, residents live in properties only several yards from their more affluent counterparts in nearby Scartho. A six-foot-tall barricade physically separates the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off roads and walkways that once connected them.
“This is the divide between rich and poor,” remarked Serenity Colley, 37. “It has been there since I’ve known. I doubt they’ll take it down because I suspect they’ll want to mix with us.”
A Stark National Picture
Analysis of official figures reveals the extent of disparity often exists, sometimes across little more than a few metres of asphalt, a line of hedges or a barrier. Years of austerity and lack of funding mean a majority of local authorities now contain a neighbourhood classified as one of the poorest in the nation.
The geographical widening of deprivation has coincided with a sharp increase in the quantity of locations where disadvantaged and well-off residents end up living side by side. In 2019, only 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods bordered one of the least deprived. This number increased to 119 in the latest data.
A Wall That Does More Than Separate Space
At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the most pronounced in the country and starkly obvious. The barrier is much more than a metaphorical divide; it causes tangible difficulties for daily routines.
- School runs that should take a quarter of an hour become an hour-long detour.
- Access to key services like supermarkets, schools and employment centres is made more difficult.
- The area can attract antisocial behaviour, with instances of rubbish being dumped over the wall and related problems.
“People strive to have a nice house and nice garden, and then you reside facing that,” noted one local, gesturing towards the rusted barricade.
Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Hardship
At a local community centre, workers stress that need does not recognise addresses. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” explained director a community leader.
Despite being placed in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe boasts a fierce loyalty and sense of community among its residents. Meanwhile, the neighbouring area ranks among the least deprived 10% nationally.
A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent
This pattern is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a mid-century housing development, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in England. It is closely bordered by spacious houses built in the 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and quality of surroundings.
“They may possess larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” said Phil Hockley, aged 63. “You’ll probably find many people over there don’t even speak to each other.”
The financial gap is clear: an average three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide equivalent homes go for about £410,000.
Residents describe a tangible feeling of neglect. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” stated resident Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our facilities have slowly been taken away, and the majority of the issues we face here are to do with poverty.”
The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a portrait of an ever more divided society, where wealth and need are often awkwardly in close proximity.
