🔗 Share this article The Rising ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Prosperity and Hardship Are Found Cheek by Jowl in England. In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants live in homes just a few metres from their more affluent counterparts in the adjacent Scartho village. One 1.8-metre-high barricade physically separates the two areas in the town of Grimsby, blocking off paths and streets that once linked them. “It’s the divide between rich and poor,” said a resident, aged 37. “It’s been like this since I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll bring it down because I don’t think they’ll want to mix with us.” A Stark Pattern Across the Country Data from government figures reveals how deep inequality often exists, at times across nothing more than a short distance of tarmac, a hedge row or a barrier. Years of austerity and underinvestment mean almost two-thirds of local authorities now contain a neighbourhood ranking as one of the most deprived in the nation. The spread of poverty has coincided with a sharp rise in the quantity of locations where deprived and affluent residents find themselves living side by side. In 2019, just 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods adjoined one of the wealthiest. This number 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 starkly apparent. The barrier transcends being just a symbolic division; it causes very real difficulties for daily routines. The school commute that ought to take 15-20 minutes become an hour-long journey. Reaching key amenities like grocery stores, educational facilities and care homes is hindered. The site often sees antisocial behaviour, with instances of litter being dumped over the wall and related problems. “People strive to maintain a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one resident, motioning at the rusted barricade. Local Bonds Amidst Hardship At Centre4, staff emphasise that support does not recognise postcodes. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” said chief executive a community leader. Despite being placed in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe retains a strong sense and sense of togetherness among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, the neighbouring area is classified among the least deprived 10% overall. Echoes Elsewhere: An Estate in Kent This phenomenon is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a 1960s 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 are in the wealthiest tenth for employment and quality of surroundings. “They may possess bigger houses, but here there’s more community,” said Phil Hockley, 63. “It’s likely a lot of people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.” The economic divide is evident: an average family home sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while on the other side equivalent homes fetch about £410,000. Locals describe a palpable sense of neglect. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” stated holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our facilities have slowly been taken away, and the majority of the issues we face here are to do with financial hardship.” The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a picture of an ever more segregated society, where prosperity and deprivation are often awkwardly close neighbours.
In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants live in homes just a few metres from their more affluent counterparts in the adjacent Scartho village. One 1.8-metre-high barricade physically separates the two areas in the town of Grimsby, blocking off paths and streets that once linked them. “It’s the divide between rich and poor,” said a resident, aged 37. “It’s been like this since I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll bring it down because I don’t think they’ll want to mix with us.” A Stark Pattern Across the Country Data from government figures reveals how deep inequality often exists, at times across nothing more than a short distance of tarmac, a hedge row or a barrier. Years of austerity and underinvestment mean almost two-thirds of local authorities now contain a neighbourhood ranking as one of the most deprived in the nation. The spread of poverty has coincided with a sharp rise in the quantity of locations where deprived and affluent residents find themselves living side by side. In 2019, just 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods adjoined one of the wealthiest. This number 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 starkly apparent. The barrier transcends being just a symbolic division; it causes very real difficulties for daily routines. The school commute that ought to take 15-20 minutes become an hour-long journey. Reaching key amenities like grocery stores, educational facilities and care homes is hindered. The site often sees antisocial behaviour, with instances of litter being dumped over the wall and related problems. “People strive to maintain a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one resident, motioning at the rusted barricade. Local Bonds Amidst Hardship At Centre4, staff emphasise that support does not recognise postcodes. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” said chief executive a community leader. Despite being placed in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe retains a strong sense and sense of togetherness among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, the neighbouring area is classified among the least deprived 10% overall. Echoes Elsewhere: An Estate in Kent This phenomenon is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a 1960s 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 are in the wealthiest tenth for employment and quality of surroundings. “They may possess bigger houses, but here there’s more community,” said Phil Hockley, 63. “It’s likely a lot of people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.” The economic divide is evident: an average family home sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while on the other side equivalent homes fetch about £410,000. Locals describe a palpable sense of neglect. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” stated holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our facilities have slowly been taken away, and the majority of the issues we face here are to do with financial hardship.” The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a picture of an ever more segregated society, where prosperity and deprivation are often awkwardly close neighbours.