🔗 Share this article A Rising ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: The Way Prosperity and Hardship Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in Across England. Within Nunsthorpe, residents occupy homes just several yards from their wealthier neighbours in nearby Scartho. A six-foot-tall barricade literally separates the two areas in the town of Grimsby, sealing off roads and walkways that previously linked them. “It’s the posh-poor divide,” said a resident, 37. “It has been there since I’ve known. I doubt they’ll bring it down because I don’t think they’ll want to associate with us.” A Stark Pattern Across the Country Data from official statistics reveals the extent of inequality can run, at times across nothing more than a short distance of asphalt, a hedge row or a barrier. Decades of austerity and lack of funding mean a majority of local authorities now contain a locality classified as one of the most deprived in the country. The spread of poverty has coincided with a significant rise in the number of locations where deprived and well-off residents find themselves as immediate neighbours. In 2019, just 65 of the poorest areas adjoined one of the wealthiest. That figure increased to 119 in the most recent data. A Wall That Does More Than Separate Space In Grimsby, the gap is the biggest in the UK and starkly apparent. The wall transcends being just a symbolic divide; it causes very real problems for everyday life. The school commute that should take 15-20 minutes turn into an sixty-minute journey. Access to key amenities like supermarkets, schools and care homes is made more difficult. The area can attract antisocial behaviour, with reports of litter being thrown over the wall and related problems. “People strive to have a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one resident, motioning at the corroded metal wall. Community Spirit Against a Backdrop of Challenges Within a local community centre, workers emphasise that support transcends addresses. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” said chief executive Tracey Good. Regardless of being placed in the lowest 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, the estate boasts a fierce loyalty and sense of togetherness among its residents. By contrast, the neighbouring area ranks among the least deprived 10% nationally. A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford This phenomenon is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope estate in Ashford, Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in the country. It is immediately adjacent by large detached homes built in the 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for employment and quality of surroundings. “They might have larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” commented Phil Hockley, aged 63. “You’ll probably find many people over there don’t even speak to each other.” The economic gap is evident: an average family home costs about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide equivalent properties fetch about £410,000. Residents speak of a palpable feeling of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” said holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our facilities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the issues we face here are to do with financial hardship.” The rise in these ‘inequality borders’ presents a portrait of an increasingly segregated England, where wealth and deprivation are frequently uncomfortably close neighbours.
Within Nunsthorpe, residents occupy homes just several yards from their wealthier neighbours in nearby Scartho. A six-foot-tall barricade literally separates the two areas in the town of Grimsby, sealing off roads and walkways that previously linked them. “It’s the posh-poor divide,” said a resident, 37. “It has been there since I’ve known. I doubt they’ll bring it down because I don’t think they’ll want to associate with us.” A Stark Pattern Across the Country Data from official statistics reveals the extent of inequality can run, at times across nothing more than a short distance of asphalt, a hedge row or a barrier. Decades of austerity and lack of funding mean a majority of local authorities now contain a locality classified as one of the most deprived in the country. The spread of poverty has coincided with a significant rise in the number of locations where deprived and well-off residents find themselves as immediate neighbours. In 2019, just 65 of the poorest areas adjoined one of the wealthiest. That figure increased to 119 in the most recent data. A Wall That Does More Than Separate Space In Grimsby, the gap is the biggest in the UK and starkly apparent. The wall transcends being just a symbolic divide; it causes very real problems for everyday life. The school commute that should take 15-20 minutes turn into an sixty-minute journey. Access to key amenities like supermarkets, schools and care homes is made more difficult. The area can attract antisocial behaviour, with reports of litter being thrown over the wall and related problems. “People strive to have a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one resident, motioning at the corroded metal wall. Community Spirit Against a Backdrop of Challenges Within a local community centre, workers emphasise that support transcends addresses. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” said chief executive Tracey Good. Regardless of being placed in the lowest 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, the estate boasts a fierce loyalty and sense of togetherness among its residents. By contrast, the neighbouring area ranks among the least deprived 10% nationally. A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford This phenomenon is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope estate in Ashford, Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in the country. It is immediately adjacent by large detached homes built in the 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for employment and quality of surroundings. “They might have larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” commented Phil Hockley, aged 63. “You’ll probably find many people over there don’t even speak to each other.” The economic gap is evident: an average family home costs about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide equivalent properties fetch about £410,000. Residents speak of a palpable feeling of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” said holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our facilities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the issues we face here are to do with financial hardship.” The rise in these ‘inequality borders’ presents a portrait of an increasingly segregated England, where wealth and deprivation are frequently uncomfortably close neighbours.