A Rising ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: The Way Prosperity and Hardship Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in Across England.
In Nunsthorpe, residents occupy properties just a few metres from their wealthier neighbours in nearby Scartho village. One 1.8-metre-high barricade literally divides the two communities in the town of Grimsby, blocking off roads and walkways that once linked them.
“It’s the divide between rich and poor,” said a resident, 37. “It’s been like this since I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll bring it down because I don’t think they’ll want to mix with us.”
An Increasingly Common National Picture
Data from government statistics reveals how deep disparity can run, sometimes over nothing more than a short distance of tarmac, a hedge row or a barrier. Decades of austerity and lack of funding have led to a situation where a majority of councils now contain a locality classified as one of the most deprived in the nation.
The geographical widening of poverty has coincided with a sharp rise in the quantity of locations where disadvantaged and well-off people end up living side by side. In 2019, just 65 of the poorest areas adjoined one of the wealthiest. This number rose to 119 in the latest data.
A Barrier Which Divides More Than Land
In Grimsby, the divide is the most pronounced in the UK and painfully apparent. The barrier transcends being just a metaphorical division; it causes very real problems for daily routines.
- School runs that ought to take a quarter of an hour become an sixty-minute journey.
- Access to key services like supermarkets, educational facilities and employment centres is hindered.
- The area can attract antisocial behaviour, with reports of litter being dumped over the wall and other problems.
“You try to maintain a nice house and nice garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one local, gesturing towards the rusted metal wall.
Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Hardship
Within a local community centre, workers emphasise that support does not recognise addresses. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” said director a community leader.
Regardless of being placed in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate retains a fierce loyalty and feeling of community among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, the neighbouring area is classified among the most prosperous 10% nationally.
A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent
This pattern is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope area in Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in the country. It is closely bordered by spacious houses built in the 2000s that sit in the top 10% for employment and quality of surroundings.
“They may possess bigger houses, but here there’s more community,” commented Phil Hockley, 63. “You’ll probably find many people over there never even talk to each other.”
The financial divide is evident: an typical three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide comparable homes go for about £410,000.
Locals speak of a tangible feeling of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” said resident Susan. “In this area our amenities have slowly been taken away, and most of the issues we face here are related to poverty.”
The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a portrait of an increasingly divided society, where wealth and need are often awkwardly in close proximity.
