The Growing ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: The Way Affluence and Hardship Are Found Cheek by Jowl in England.
In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants occupy homes just a few metres from their more affluent neighbours in the adjacent Scartho village. A six-foot-tall barricade literally divides the two areas in the town of Grimsby, blocking off paths and streets that once linked them.
“This is the divide between rich and poor,” remarked Serenity Colley, 37. “It’s been like this since I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll take it down because I don’t think they’ll want to mix with us.”
An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country
Analysis of government figures reveals the extent of disparity can run, sometimes across nothing more than a few metres of tarmac, a line of hedges or a wall. Years of austerity and lack of funding mean a majority of councils now contain a neighbourhood classified as one of the poorest in the nation.
This geographical widening of deprivation has led to a sharp increase in the number of places where deprived and well-off residents end up living side by side. In 2019, only 65 of the most deprived areas adjoined one of the least deprived. This number increased to 119 in the latest data.
A Barrier Which Divides More Than Space
At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the biggest in the country and starkly apparent. The barrier transcends being just a metaphorical divide; it causes very real problems for daily routines.
- The school commute that ought to take 15-20 minutes become an hour-long journey.
- Reaching important services like supermarkets, schools and care homes is made more difficult.
- The site can attract antisocial behaviour, with instances of rubbish being thrown over the wall and other problems.
“People strive to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one local, motioning at the corroded barricade.
Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Hardship
Within Centre4, staff stress that support does not recognise postcodes. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” said director Tracey Good.
Despite ranking in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, the estate retains a strong sense and feeling of community among its inhabitants. By contrast, the neighbouring area ranks among the most prosperous 10% nationally.
A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford
This phenomenon is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a mid-century housing development, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in the country. It is immediately adjacent by large houses built in the 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for employment and quality of surroundings.
“They may possess larger properties, but here there’s more community,” said a long-term resident, 63. “It’s likely a lot of people over there never even talk to each other.”
The economic gap is evident: an typical family home sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide equivalent homes fetch about £410,000.
Locals describe a tangible sense of being overlooked. “This part of the community is neglected,” said holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our amenities have slowly been taken away, and most of the community problems here are related to poverty.”
The rise in these ‘inequality borders’ presents a portrait of an ever more divided society, where wealth and need are frequently uncomfortably in close proximity.
