A Rising ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: How Affluence and Hardship Are Found Cheek by Jowl in England.
Within Nunsthorpe, residents occupy properties just several yards from their more affluent counterparts in the adjacent Scartho village. A 1.8-metre-high barricade literally divides the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off roads and walkways that previously connected them.
“This is the divide between rich and poor,” remarked Serenity Colley, aged 37. “It’s been like this since I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll bring it down because I don’t think they’ll want to mix with us.”
A Stark Pattern Across the Country
Analysis of government figures shows the extent of inequality can run, sometimes across little more than a short distance of tarmac, a hedge row or a barrier. Years of austerity and lack of funding have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of councils now have a neighbourhood classified as one of the most deprived in the nation.
This geographical widening of poverty has coincided with a significant rise in the number of places where disadvantaged and well-off 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 rose to 119 in the latest data.
A Barrier Which Divides More Than Land
At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the most pronounced in the country and starkly apparent. The wall transcends being just a symbolic divide; it causes tangible problems for daily routines.
- The school commute that ought to take a quarter of an hour become an hour-long journey.
- Reaching important services like supermarkets, schools and employment centres is hindered.
- The area can attract vandalism and loitering, with instances of rubbish being dumped over the wall and other problems.
“People strive to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” noted one local, gesturing towards the rusted barricade.
Local Bonds Amidst Hardship
At a local community centre, workers emphasise that support does not recognise addresses. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” explained director 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 inhabitants. Meanwhile, the neighbouring area ranks among the most prosperous 10% overall.
A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford
This pattern is repeated nationally. The Stanhope area in Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in the country. It is closely bordered by spacious houses built in the 2000s that sit in the top 10% for employment and quality of surroundings.
“They may possess larger properties, but here there’s more community,” commented a long-term resident, 63. “It’s likely many people over there never even talk to each other.”
The economic divide is evident: an average family home costs about £275,000 on the estate, while on the other side equivalent properties go for about £410,000.
Locals speak of a palpable sense of neglect. “This part of the community gets ignored,” said resident Susan Riley-Nevers. “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 ‘inequality borders’ paints a portrait of an ever more segregated England, where prosperity and deprivation are frequently uncomfortably in close proximity.
