The Rising ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Prosperity and Hardship Now Sit Side by Side in Across England.
In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, residents live in properties only several yards from their wealthier counterparts in the adjacent Scartho village. A 1.8-metre-high wall literally divides the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off roads and walkways that once linked them.
“It’s the divide between rich and poor,” said a resident, aged 37. “It has been there since I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll bring it down because I don’t think they’ll want to associate with us.”
An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country
Analysis of government figures reveals how deep inequality can run, sometimes over little more than a short distance of tarmac, a line of hedges or a wall. Decades of austerity and underinvestment mean almost two-thirds of councils now have a locality classified as one of the poorest in the country.
This geographical widening of deprivation has coincided with a significant increase in the number of locations where deprived and affluent people find themselves living side by side. Just a few years ago, only 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods adjoined one of the least deprived. This number increased to 119 in the most recent data.
A Wall That Divides More Than Land
At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the biggest in the country and painfully obvious. The wall transcends being just a symbolic division; it causes tangible difficulties for everyday life.
- School runs that should take a quarter of an hour become an sixty-minute detour.
- Access to important amenities like supermarkets, schools and employment centres is hindered.
- The site can attract vandalism and loitering, with instances of rubbish being dumped over the wall and related issues.
“You try to have a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one local, motioning at the rusted metal wall.
Local Bonds Amidst Hardship
At Centre4, staff emphasise that need does not recognise addresses. “Where you live is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” explained director Tracey Good.
Despite ranking in the lowest 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, the estate boasts a fierce loyalty and sense of togetherness among its residents. Meanwhile, the neighbouring area is classified among the most prosperous 10% nationally.
Echoes Elsewhere: Stanhope in Ashford
This phenomenon is repeated across the country. The Stanhope estate in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in England. It is closely bordered by large detached homes built in the early 2000s that are in the top 10% for employment and living environment.
“They may possess larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” said a long-term resident, 63. “You’ll probably find many people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.”
The economic divide is clear: an average three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while on the other side comparable properties fetch about £410,000.
Locals speak of a palpable feeling of neglect. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” said holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our amenities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the issues we face here are to do with financial hardship.”
The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a portrait of an ever more segregated society, where prosperity and need are frequently uncomfortably in close proximity.