A Growing ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: The Way Affluence and Deprivation Now Sit Side by Side in England.
In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, residents live in homes only several yards from their wealthier counterparts in nearby Scartho village. One 1.8-metre-high wall physically separates the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off paths and streets that once connected them.
“This is the divide between rich and poor,” said a resident, 37. “It has been there since I’ve known. I doubt they’ll bring it down because I don’t think they’ll want to associate with us.”
An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country
Analysis of government figures reveals how deep inequality often exists, sometimes over little more than a few metres of asphalt, a hedge row or a barrier. Years of austerity and lack of funding mean a majority of councils now have a neighbourhood ranking as one of the poorest in the country.
The spread of poverty has led to a sharp rise in the quantity of places where disadvantaged and well-off residents find themselves living side by side. Just a few years ago, only 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods bordered one of the wealthiest. This number rose to 119 in the latest data.
A Wall That Divides More Than Space
In Grimsby, the divide is the most pronounced in the country and painfully obvious. The wall is much more than a symbolic divide; it causes very real difficulties for everyday life.
- School runs that ought to take a quarter of an hour turn into an hour-long detour.
- Access to important services like grocery stores, schools and care homes is hindered.
- The area often sees antisocial behaviour, with instances of litter being dumped over the wall and other issues.
“You try to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one local, motioning at the rusted barricade.
Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Hardship
At Centre4, workers emphasise that need transcends postcodes. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” said chief executive a community leader.
Despite being placed in the lowest 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe boasts a strong sense and sense of community among its inhabitants. By contrast, the neighbouring area ranks among the least deprived 10% overall.
A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent
This phenomenon is repeated nationally. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of neighbourhoods in England. It is closely bordered by large detached homes built in the early 2000s that sit in the top 10% for employment and living environment.
“They may possess larger properties, but here there’s more community,” commented a long-term resident, aged 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.”
The economic divide is evident: an average family home costs about £275,000 on the estate, while on the other side comparable properties fetch about £410,000.
Residents describe a palpable sense of being overlooked. “This part of the community is neglected,” stated resident Susan. “Over here our amenities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the community problems here are to do with poverty.”
The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a portrait of an increasingly segregated society, where prosperity and deprivation are frequently awkwardly in close proximity.
