A Growing ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Affluence and Hardship Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in England.

In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, residents occupy properties just several yards from their wealthier neighbours in nearby Scartho village. One six-foot-tall wall literally separates the two communities in the town of Grimsby, sealing off roads and walkways that previously linked them.

“This is the divide between rich and poor,” remarked Serenity Colley, aged 37. “It has been there since I’ve known. I doubt they’ll take it down because I don’t think they’ll want to associate with us.”

An Increasingly Common National Picture

Data from official figures shows how deep inequality can run, sometimes over little more than a short distance of asphalt, a line of hedges or a barrier. Decades of budget cuts and lack of funding have led to a situation where a majority of councils now contain a neighbourhood ranking as one of the most deprived in the country.

The geographical widening of deprivation has led to a significant increase in the quantity of places where deprived and affluent residents find themselves as immediate neighbours. In 2019, just 65 of the poorest areas adjoined one of the wealthiest. This number increased to 119 in the latest data.

A Barrier Which Divides More Than Space

At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the most pronounced in the UK and painfully obvious. The wall transcends being just a metaphorical division; it creates very real difficulties for daily routines.

• The school commute that should take a quarter of an hour turn into an hour-long detour.
• Reaching key amenities like supermarkets, educational facilities and care homes is hindered.
• The area often sees antisocial behaviour, with instances of litter being dumped over the wall and other problems.

“You try to have a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one resident, gesturing towards the corroded metal wall.

Community Spirit Amidst Challenges

Within Centre4, staff stress that need transcends 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, the estate boasts a strong sense and feeling of community among its residents. By contrast, Scartho ranks among the most prosperous 10% nationally.

A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent

This phenomenon is mirrored nationally. The Stanhope estate in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of neighbourhoods in the country. It is closely bordered by large houses built in the 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for employment and living environment.

“They may possess larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” said a long-term resident, aged 63. “It’s likely many people over there don’t even speak to each other.”

The financial divide is evident: an average family home costs about £275,000 on the estate, while on the other side equivalent homes go for about £410,000.

Locals speak of a palpable feeling of being overlooked. “This part of the community gets ignored,” said resident Susan. “Over here our facilities have gradually disappeared, and most of the community problems here are to do with financial hardship.”

The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a picture of an ever more segregated England, where prosperity and deprivation are frequently uncomfortably close neighbours.