A Rising ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: The Way Prosperity and Hardship Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in England.
Within a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants live in homes only several yards from their more affluent counterparts in nearby Scartho village. A six-foot-tall wall physically divides the two areas in the town of Grimsby, sealing off paths and streets that once connected them.
“It’s the divide between rich and poor,” remarked Serenity Colley, aged 37. “It has been there for as long as I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll take it down because I don’t think they’ll want to associate with us.”
An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country
Data from government figures shows the extent of disparity often exists, at times over little more than a few metres of tarmac, a line of hedges or a barrier. Years of austerity and lack of funding mean almost two-thirds of councils now have a locality classified as one of the most deprived in the nation.
The spread of poverty has coincided with a significant increase in the number of locations where deprived and well-off people find themselves living side by side. In 2019, just 65 of the most deprived areas bordered one of the least deprived. This number increased to 119 in the most recent data.
A Barrier Which Divides More Than Space
In Grimsby, the divide is the most pronounced in the country and painfully apparent. The barrier transcends being just a symbolic divide; it causes tangible problems for everyday life.
- School runs that should take a quarter of an hour become an hour-long detour.
- Reaching important amenities like supermarkets, schools and care homes is made more difficult.
- The area often sees vandalism and loitering, with reports of rubbish being thrown over the wall and related issues.
“People strive to maintain a nice house and nice garden, and then you reside facing that,” noted one resident, motioning at the rusted metal wall.
Local Bonds Amidst Hardship
Within Centre4, staff emphasise that need does not recognise addresses. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” said director a community leader.
Despite ranking in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe retains a fierce loyalty and sense of togetherness among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, Scartho is classified among the most prosperous 10% overall.
A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford
This phenomenon is mirrored nationally. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of neighbourhoods in the country. It is closely bordered by large detached homes built in the early 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for employment and living environment.
“They might have bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” commented a long-term resident, 63. “It’s likely many people in the new builds never even talk to each other.”
The financial gap is evident: an average three-bedroom house costs about £275,000 on the estate, while on the other side comparable properties fetch about £410,000.
Residents describe a palpable sense of neglect. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” said holistic health worker Susan. “In this area our facilities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the issues we face here are to do with poverty.”
The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a picture of an ever more segregated society, where wealth and deprivation are frequently awkwardly in close proximity.
