🔗 Share this article The Rising ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: How Prosperity and Deprivation Are Found Cheek by Jowl in Across England. In Nunsthorpe, residents live in homes just several yards from their more affluent neighbours in nearby Scartho village. One six-foot-tall barricade physically divides the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off roads and walkways that once linked them. “It’s the posh-poor divide,” said a resident, aged 37. “It’s been like this since I’ve known. I doubt they’ll bring it down because I don’t think they’ll want to mix with us.” An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country Data from official figures reveals the extent of inequality can run, at times across nothing more than a few metres of tarmac, a hedge row or a barrier. Years of austerity and lack of funding mean a majority of local authorities now contain a locality classified as one of the poorest in the country. The geographical widening of poverty has led to a significant rise in the quantity of locations where disadvantaged and well-off people find themselves living side by side. In 2019, just 65 of the most deprived areas bordered one of the wealthiest. That figure increased to 119 in the most recent data. A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Land At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the biggest in the country and painfully apparent. The barrier is much more than a metaphorical division; it causes very real difficulties for everyday life. School runs that should take a quarter of an hour turn into an hour-long journey. Access to important services like supermarkets, educational facilities and employment centres is hindered. The area can attract antisocial behaviour, with reports of rubbish being thrown over the wall and related problems. “People strive to have a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one resident, gesturing towards the rusted barricade. Community Spirit Amidst Challenges At a local community centre, workers emphasise that support transcends addresses. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” explained chief executive a community leader. Regardless of ranking in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe boasts a fierce loyalty and feeling of community among its residents. By contrast, Scartho is classified among the least deprived 10% overall. A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent This pattern is repeated nationally. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of neighbourhoods in England. It is closely bordered by spacious detached homes built in the 2000s that are in the top 10% for job prospects and quality of surroundings. “They might have bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” said a long-term resident, 63. “It’s likely many people over there don’t even speak to each other.” The economic divide is clear: an typical family home costs about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide comparable homes go for about £410,000. Locals describe a tangible feeling of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” said holistic health worker Susan. “In this area our facilities have gradually disappeared, and most of the issues we face here are related to poverty.” The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a portrait of an ever more segregated England, where prosperity and deprivation are frequently uncomfortably in close proximity.
In Nunsthorpe, residents live in homes just several yards from their more affluent neighbours in nearby Scartho village. One six-foot-tall barricade physically divides the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off roads and walkways that once linked them. “It’s the posh-poor divide,” said a resident, aged 37. “It’s been like this since I’ve known. I doubt they’ll bring it down because I don’t think they’ll want to mix with us.” An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country Data from official figures reveals the extent of inequality can run, at times across nothing more than a few metres of tarmac, a hedge row or a barrier. Years of austerity and lack of funding mean a majority of local authorities now contain a locality classified as one of the poorest in the country. The geographical widening of poverty has led to a significant rise in the quantity of locations where disadvantaged and well-off people find themselves living side by side. In 2019, just 65 of the most deprived areas bordered one of the wealthiest. That figure increased to 119 in the most recent data. A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Land At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the biggest in the country and painfully apparent. The barrier is much more than a metaphorical division; it causes very real difficulties for everyday life. School runs that should take a quarter of an hour turn into an hour-long journey. Access to important services like supermarkets, educational facilities and employment centres is hindered. The area can attract antisocial behaviour, with reports of rubbish being thrown over the wall and related problems. “People strive to have a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one resident, gesturing towards the rusted barricade. Community Spirit Amidst Challenges At a local community centre, workers emphasise that support transcends addresses. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” explained chief executive a community leader. Regardless of ranking in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe boasts a fierce loyalty and feeling of community among its residents. By contrast, Scartho is classified among the least deprived 10% overall. A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent This pattern is repeated nationally. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of neighbourhoods in England. It is closely bordered by spacious detached homes built in the 2000s that are in the top 10% for job prospects and quality of surroundings. “They might have bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” said a long-term resident, 63. “It’s likely many people over there don’t even speak to each other.” The economic divide is clear: an typical family home costs about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide comparable homes go for about £410,000. Locals describe a tangible feeling of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” said holistic health worker Susan. “In this area our facilities have gradually disappeared, and most of the issues we face here are related to poverty.” The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a portrait of an ever more segregated England, where prosperity and deprivation are frequently uncomfortably in close proximity.