A Rising ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: How Affluence and Hardship Are Found Side by Side in Across England.

Within a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants occupy properties only several yards from their more affluent counterparts in the adjacent Scartho village. A six-foot-tall barricade literally divides the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off roads and walkways that once linked them.

“This is the divide between rich and poor,” remarked Serenity Colley, aged 37. “It has been there for as long as I’ve known. I doubt they’ll take it down because I don’t think they’ll want to mix with us.”

An Increasingly Common National Picture

Data from government statistics shows the extent of inequality can run, at times over little more than a short distance of asphalt, a line of hedges or a wall. Years of austerity and underinvestment mean a majority of councils now contain a neighbourhood classified as one of the most deprived in the nation.

The geographical widening of deprivation has led to a sharp increase in the quantity of places where deprived and well-off people end up as immediate neighbours. In 2019, only 65 of the most deprived areas bordered one of the least deprived. That figure increased to 119 in the most recent data.

A Barrier Which Divides More Than Land

At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the biggest in the UK and painfully apparent. The barrier transcends being just a symbolic divide; it creates tangible difficulties for daily routines.

• The school commute that ought to take a quarter of an hour turn into an sixty-minute detour.
• Reaching key services like supermarkets, schools and employment centres is made more difficult.
• The area often sees antisocial behaviour, with instances of litter being thrown over the wall and other issues.

“People strive to have a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one resident, gesturing towards the rusted barricade.

Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Challenges

At a local community centre, workers emphasise that need transcends addresses. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” said chief executive Tracey Good.

Despite being placed in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe retains a strong sense and sense of community among its residents. Meanwhile, the neighbouring area ranks among the most prosperous 10% overall.

A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford

This pattern is repeated across the country. The Stanhope area in Kent, a mid-century housing development, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in England. It is immediately adjacent by large detached homes built in the 2000s that sit in the top 10% for job prospects and living environment.

“They may possess larger properties, but here there’s more community,” commented Phil Hockley, aged 63. “You’ll probably find many people in the new builds never even talk to each other.”

The financial divide is evident: an average family home sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while on the other side equivalent properties go for about £410,000.

Locals speak of a palpable feeling of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” stated holistic health worker Susan. “Over here our facilities have gradually disappeared, and most of the community problems here are to do with financial hardship.”

The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a portrait of an increasingly divided society, where prosperity and deprivation are frequently uncomfortably in close proximity.