A Growing ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: How Affluence and Deprivation Now Sit Side by Side in England.
In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, residents live in homes just several yards from their wealthier counterparts in nearby Scartho. One 1.8-metre-high barricade literally divides the two communities in the town of Grimsby, sealing off roads and walkways that previously connected them.
“It’s the divide between rich and poor,” remarked a resident, aged 37. “It has been there since I’ve known. I doubt they’ll bring it down because I suspect they’ll want to associate with us.”
An Increasingly Common National Picture
Data from government figures shows the extent of disparity can run, at times across little more than a short distance of tarmac, a hedge row or a barrier. Years of budget cuts and lack of funding mean almost two-thirds of councils now contain a locality classified as one of the most deprived in the country.
The geographical widening of deprivation has coincided with a sharp increase in the number of locations where disadvantaged and affluent residents end up living side by side. In 2019, only 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods adjoined one of the least deprived. That figure 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 apparent. The barrier is much more than a metaphorical divide; it causes tangible problems for everyday life.
- School runs that ought to take a quarter of an hour become an sixty-minute detour.
- Access to important amenities like grocery stores, educational facilities and employment centres is hindered.
- The site often sees vandalism and loitering, with reports of rubbish being dumped over the wall and other problems.
“People strive to maintain a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one local, motioning at the corroded metal wall.
Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Hardship
At Centre4, staff emphasise that need does not recognise postcodes. “Where you live is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” explained chief executive Tracey Good.
Despite ranking in the lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe boasts a strong sense and feeling of togetherness among its residents. Meanwhile, Scartho is classified among the least deprived 10% overall.
A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford
This phenomenon is mirrored nationally. The Stanhope estate in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in England. It is immediately adjacent by large detached homes built in the 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and living environment.
“They may possess larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” said Phil Hockley, 63. “It’s likely a lot of people in the new builds never even talk to each other.”
The financial gap is clear: an average family home costs about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide comparable homes fetch about £410,000.
Locals speak of a tangible sense of neglect. “This part of the community gets ignored,” said resident Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our facilities have slowly been taken away, and most of the issues we face here are related to poverty.”
The rise in these ‘inequality borders’ presents a portrait of an ever more segregated England, where prosperity and deprivation are frequently awkwardly in close proximity.
