The Growing ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Prosperity and Hardship Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in Across England.
In Nunsthorpe, inhabitants live in homes only a few metres from their wealthier counterparts in the adjacent Scartho village. One six-foot-tall barricade physically separates the two areas in the town of Grimsby, blocking off paths and streets that previously linked them.
“It’s the divide between rich and poor,” remarked a resident, 37. “It’s been like this for as long as I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll take it down because I don’t think they’ll want to mix with us.”
A Stark National Picture
Data from government figures reveals the extent of inequality can run, sometimes over nothing more than a few metres of tarmac, a hedge row or a wall. Decades of austerity and lack of funding mean almost two-thirds of local authorities now have a locality classified as one of the poorest in the nation.
The spread of poverty has led to a significant increase in the quantity of places where deprived and well-off residents end up living side by side. In 2019, only 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods bordered one of the least deprived. This number rose to 119 in the most recent data.
A Barrier Which Divides More Than Space
At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the most pronounced in the country and starkly apparent. The wall transcends being just a metaphorical divide; it causes very real problems for everyday life.
- The school commute that ought to take a quarter of an hour turn into an sixty-minute journey.
- Reaching important amenities like grocery stores, educational facilities and employment centres is hindered.
- The site can attract vandalism and loitering, with instances of rubbish being thrown over the wall and related issues.
“You try to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one local, motioning at the rusted metal wall.
Local Bonds Amidst Challenges
Within Centre4, workers stress that support transcends postcodes. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” explained chief executive Tracey Good.
Despite being placed in the lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe boasts a strong sense and sense of community among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, Scartho ranks among the least deprived 10% nationally.
A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent
This pattern is mirrored nationally. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in England. It is immediately adjacent by large detached homes built in the 2000s that are in the top 10% for employment and quality of surroundings.
“They may possess bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” commented a long-term resident, aged 63. “It’s likely many people over there never even talk to each other.”
The economic divide is clear: an average three-bedroom house costs about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while on the other side equivalent properties fetch about £410,000.
Locals speak of a tangible sense of being overlooked. “This part of the community is neglected,” said holistic health worker Susan. “In this area our amenities have slowly been taken away, and most of the community problems here are related to financial hardship.”
The rise in these ‘inequality borders’ paints a portrait of an increasingly segregated England, where prosperity and need are frequently uncomfortably in close proximity.
