A Growing ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: The Way Affluence and Deprivation Are Found Cheek by Jowl in England.
In Nunsthorpe, inhabitants live in properties only a few metres from their more affluent counterparts in nearby Scartho village. One 1.8-metre-high wall physically separates the two communities in the town of Grimsby, sealing off paths and streets that once connected them.
“It’s the posh-poor divide,” remarked Serenity Colley, 37. “It has been there since I’ve known. I doubt they’ll take it down because I suspect they’ll want to mix with us.”
A Stark Pattern Across the Country
Data from government statistics reveals the extent of disparity often exists, sometimes across nothing more than a few metres of tarmac, a hedge row or a barrier. Decades of budget cuts and underinvestment mean almost two-thirds of councils now have a locality classified as one of the poorest in the country.
The spread of poverty has led to a significant increase in the quantity of locations where deprived and affluent residents find themselves as immediate neighbours. In 2019, only 65 of the most deprived areas bordered one of the least deprived. This number rose to 119 in the most recent data.
A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Space
In Grimsby, the gap is the biggest in the UK and starkly apparent. The barrier transcends being just a symbolic division; it creates very real problems for everyday life.
- The school commute that should take 15-20 minutes turn into an sixty-minute detour.
- Access to important services like supermarkets, educational facilities and employment centres is hindered.
- The area often sees antisocial behaviour, with instances of rubbish being thrown over the wall and related problems.
“You try to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one resident, gesturing towards the corroded barricade.
Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Challenges
At Centre4, staff emphasise that support transcends addresses. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” said chief executive a community leader.
Despite ranking in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe retains a fierce loyalty and feeling of togetherness among its residents. Meanwhile, Scartho ranks among the least deprived 10% nationally.
Echoes Elsewhere: An Estate in Kent
This pattern is repeated across the country. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a mid-century housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of neighbourhoods in England. It is closely bordered by spacious detached homes built in the early 2000s that are in the top 10% for job prospects and quality of surroundings.
“They might have bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” commented a long-term resident, 63. “You’ll probably find many people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.”
The financial divide is clear: an typical three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while on the other side equivalent properties go for about £410,000.
Locals speak of a tangible sense of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” said resident Susan. “Over here our amenities have slowly been taken away, and most of the issues we face here are to do with financial hardship.”
The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a picture of an ever more divided England, where wealth and deprivation are frequently awkwardly close neighbours.
