A Rising ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: The Way Prosperity and Deprivation Now Sit Side by Side in England.
In Nunsthorpe, residents live in homes only a few metres from their wealthier neighbours in nearby Scartho village. One 1.8-metre-high wall literally divides the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off roads and walkways that previously linked them.
“It’s the posh-poor divide,” remarked Serenity Colley, 37. “It has been there for as long as I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll bring it down because I suspect they’ll want to mix with us.”
An Increasingly Common National Picture
Data from official figures reveals the extent of disparity often exists, at times across little 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.
This spread of poverty has coincided with a sharp rise in the quantity of places where disadvantaged and well-off people end up as immediate neighbours. In 2019, just 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods adjoined one of the least deprived. That figure rose to 119 in the latest data.
A Wall That Does More Than Separate Land
At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the biggest in the country and painfully apparent. The wall transcends being just a metaphorical divide; it causes tangible problems for daily routines.
- The school commute that should take a quarter of an hour become an sixty-minute detour.
- Reaching important amenities like supermarkets, educational facilities and care homes is hindered.
- The area often sees antisocial behaviour, 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,” noted one resident, gesturing towards the rusted barricade.
Community Spirit Against a Backdrop of Hardship
At Centre4, workers stress that need transcends postcodes. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” said director a community leader.
Regardless of ranking in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate retains a strong sense and sense of togetherness among its residents. By contrast, the neighbouring area is classified among the most prosperous 10% overall.
A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent
This pattern is repeated across the country. The Stanhope estate in Ashford, Kent, a mid-century housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in England. It is closely bordered by large houses built in the 2000s that sit in the top 10% for employment and quality of surroundings.
“They might have bigger houses, but here there’s more community,” said Phil Hockley, aged 63. “It’s likely a lot of people over there 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 across the divide comparable homes go for about £410,000.
Locals describe a palpable feeling of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” stated holistic health worker Susan. “Over here our facilities have gradually disappeared, and most of the community problems here are to do with poverty.”
The rise in these ‘inequality borders’ paints a picture of an ever more segregated society, where prosperity and need are often awkwardly in close proximity.
