The Growing ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: How Prosperity and Hardship Now Sit Side by Side in Across England.
Within Nunsthorpe, residents live in homes just several yards from their more affluent neighbours in nearby Scartho village. A 1.8-metre-high barricade physically divides the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off paths and streets that once connected them.
“It’s the divide between rich and poor,” remarked a resident, aged 37. “It’s been like this since I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll take it down because I suspect they’ll want to mix with us.”
A Stark Pattern Across the Country
Data from government statistics shows the extent of disparity often exists, at times across nothing more than a short distance of asphalt, a line of hedges or a barrier. Decades of budget cuts and underinvestment have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of local authorities now have a locality classified as one of the most deprived in the nation.
The spread of deprivation has coincided with a significant increase in the quantity of locations where deprived and well-off people find themselves living side by side. In 2019, only 65 of the poorest areas bordered one of the least deprived. That figure increased to 119 in the most recent data.
A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Space
At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the most pronounced in the country and starkly apparent. The barrier transcends being just a symbolic division; it creates tangible difficulties for daily routines.
- School runs that ought to take a quarter of an hour turn into an sixty-minute journey.
- Reaching important amenities like grocery stores, schools and care homes is hindered.
- The area often sees antisocial behaviour, with instances of litter being thrown over the wall and other problems.
“People strive to have a nice house and nice garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one resident, motioning at the rusted barricade.
Community Spirit Amidst Hardship
At a local community centre, workers stress that need does not recognise postcodes. “Where you live is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” explained chief executive a community leader.
Despite being placed in the lowest 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, the estate retains a strong sense and feeling of togetherness among its residents. Meanwhile, the neighbouring area is classified among the most prosperous 10% nationally.
Echoes Elsewhere: Stanhope in Ashford
This phenomenon is mirrored nationally. The Stanhope estate in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of neighbourhoods in England. It is closely bordered by spacious houses built in the early 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and living environment.
“They may possess larger properties, but here there’s more community,” commented Phil Hockley, aged 63. “You’ll probably find many people over there never even talk to each other.”
The financial divide 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 tangible sense of being overlooked. “This part of the community is neglected,” 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 portrait of an ever more divided England, where prosperity and deprivation are often awkwardly in close proximity.
