A Rising ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: How Affluence and Hardship Are Found Cheek by Jowl in Across England.
In Nunsthorpe, inhabitants live in properties only several yards from their more affluent neighbours in nearby Scartho. A six-foot-tall barricade physically separates the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off paths and streets that previously connected them.
“It’s the divide between rich and poor,” remarked a resident, 37. “It’s been like this 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
Data from official statistics shows the extent of inequality can run, sometimes over nothing more than a few metres of asphalt, a hedge row or a barrier. Years of austerity and lack of funding have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of local authorities now contain a locality ranking as one of the most deprived in the country.
This geographical widening of poverty has coincided with a sharp rise in the number of places where deprived and affluent people end up living side by side. In 2019, only 65 of the most deprived areas adjoined one of the wealthiest. That figure rose to 119 in the latest data.
A Wall That Divides More Than Space
At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the most pronounced in the UK and painfully obvious. The wall is much more than a symbolic divide; it causes very real problems for everyday life.
- School runs that ought to take 15-20 minutes become an sixty-minute detour.
- Reaching key services like supermarkets, schools and employment centres is hindered.
- The site can attract antisocial behaviour, with reports of rubbish being dumped over the wall and related issues.
“People strive to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one local, motioning at the corroded metal wall.
Community Spirit Against a Backdrop of Challenges
Within a local community centre, workers emphasise that support transcends addresses. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” explained director a community leader.
Despite being placed in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe boasts a strong sense and sense of community among its inhabitants. By contrast, Scartho is classified among the least deprived 10% nationally.
A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford
This pattern is mirrored nationally. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of neighbourhoods in the country. It is closely bordered by spacious detached homes built in the early 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for employment and living environment.
“They may possess larger properties, but here there’s more community,” said a long-term resident, 63. “You’ll probably find many people over there don’t even speak to each other.”
The financial divide is evident: an average three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide comparable homes fetch about £410,000.
Locals describe a tangible feeling of neglect. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” said holistic health worker Susan. “In this area our facilities have slowly been taken away, 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 divided society, where wealth and need are often awkwardly close neighbours.
