A Rising ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: The Way Prosperity and Hardship Are Found Side by Side in Across England.
In Nunsthorpe, inhabitants live in homes only several yards from their more affluent neighbours in nearby Scartho village. A 1.8-metre-high wall literally separates the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off paths and streets that previously linked them.
“This is the divide between rich and poor,” remarked a resident, 37. “It has been there since I’ve known. I doubt they’ll take it down because I suspect they’ll want to mix with us.”
An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country
Analysis of official figures reveals how deep disparity can run, sometimes over little more than a short distance of asphalt, a line of hedges or a wall. Years of austerity and lack of funding have led to a situation where a majority of local authorities now contain a neighbourhood classified as one of the most deprived in the nation.
The spread of deprivation has led to a sharp increase in the quantity of places where disadvantaged and affluent residents find themselves living side by side. Just a few years ago, only 65 of the most deprived areas bordered 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 gap is the biggest in the UK and painfully obvious. The barrier transcends being just a symbolic division; it creates tangible problems for everyday life.
- The school commute that should take a quarter of an hour turn into an hour-long detour.
- Access to key services like grocery stores, educational facilities and employment centres 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 maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” noted one resident, motioning at the rusted metal wall.
Local Bonds Amidst Hardship
At a local community centre, staff emphasise that support does not recognise postcodes. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” said director Tracey Good.
Regardless of ranking in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, the estate boasts a fierce loyalty and sense of togetherness among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, the neighbouring area ranks among the least deprived 10% overall.
A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford
This phenomenon is repeated nationally. The Stanhope area in Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in the country. It is closely bordered by large detached homes built in the early 2000s that sit in the top 10% for job prospects and living environment.
“They may possess bigger houses, but here there’s more community,” commented a long-term resident, aged 63. “You’ll probably find many people in the new builds never even talk to each other.”
The economic divide is evident: an average three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide comparable properties fetch about £410,000.
Residents speak of a tangible feeling of being overlooked. “This part of the community gets ignored,” stated holistic health worker Susan. “In this area our facilities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the community problems 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 deprivation are frequently awkwardly close neighbours.
