The Growing ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: The Way Prosperity and Deprivation Are Found Cheek by Jowl in England.

In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, residents live in homes only a few metres from their wealthier counterparts in nearby Scartho. A 1.8-metre-high wall literally divides the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off paths and streets that once connected them.

“This is the divide between rich and poor,” said Serenity Colley, aged 37. “It’s been like this for as long as 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 figures shows how deep inequality can run, sometimes across nothing more than a short distance of tarmac, a hedge row or a wall. Years of austerity and lack of funding mean almost two-thirds of local authorities now have a locality classified as one of the poorest in the country.

This spread of deprivation has led to a sharp increase in the quantity of places where disadvantaged and well-off people end up living side by side. In 2019, just 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods bordered one of the least deprived. This number rose to 119 in the latest data.

A Barrier Which Divides More Than Space

At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the most pronounced in the country and starkly obvious. The wall is much more than a metaphorical division; it creates very real problems for everyday life.

• The school commute that ought to take a quarter of an hour become an hour-long detour.
• Access to key services like grocery stores, schools and employment centres is made more difficult.
• The area can attract antisocial behaviour, with reports of rubbish being dumped over the wall and other problems.

“You try to maintain a nice house and nice garden, and then you reside facing that,” noted one resident, motioning at the rusted metal wall.

Community Spirit Amidst Challenges

Within a local community centre, workers emphasise that need does not recognise addresses. “Where you live is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” explained chief executive Tracey Good.

Regardless of being placed in the lowest 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe boasts a strong sense and sense of community among its residents. By contrast, Scartho ranks among the least deprived 10% nationally.

Echoes Elsewhere: Stanhope in Ashford

This pattern is repeated across the country. The Stanhope area in Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in England. It is closely bordered by large houses built in the early 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and quality of surroundings.

“They might have bigger houses, but here there’s more community,” commented a long-term resident, aged 63. “It’s likely many people over there never even talk to each other.”

The economic gap is evident: an average family home sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while on the other side equivalent homes fetch about £410,000.

Locals speak of a tangible feeling of being overlooked. “This part of the community gets ignored,” said resident Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our facilities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the community problems here are related to financial hardship.”

The increase in these ‘inequality borders’ paints a picture of an ever more divided society, where wealth and deprivation are frequently awkwardly close neighbours.