The Rising ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Affluence and Deprivation Are Found Cheek by Jowl in England.
Within a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, residents live in properties only several yards from their wealthier counterparts in nearby Scartho. One six-foot-tall wall literally separates the two areas in the town of Grimsby, sealing off paths and streets that previously linked them.
“It’s the divide between rich and poor,” said Serenity Colley, 37. “It’s been like this since I’ve known. I doubt they’ll take it down because I don’t think they’ll want to associate with us.”
A Stark National Picture
Data from official statistics reveals how deep disparity can run, sometimes over nothing more than a short distance of tarmac, a line of hedges or a wall. Years of austerity and underinvestment mean almost two-thirds of local authorities now contain a locality ranking as one of the most deprived in the nation.
This spread of poverty has coincided with a significant increase in the quantity of locations where disadvantaged and well-off people end up living side by side. Just a few years ago, only 65 of the most deprived areas adjoined one of the least deprived. That figure rose to 119 in the latest data.
A Wall That Does More Than Separate Space
In Grimsby, the divide is the biggest in the UK and starkly obvious. The wall is much more than a metaphorical division; it creates very real problems for daily routines.
- School runs that ought to take a quarter of an hour turn into an hour-long detour.
- Reaching important amenities like supermarkets, educational facilities and care homes is hindered.
- The area often sees vandalism and loitering, with instances of rubbish being thrown over the wall and other issues.
“People strive to have a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one resident, motioning at the corroded barricade.
Local Bonds Amidst Hardship
Within Centre4, staff stress that need transcends postcodes. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” explained director Tracey Good.
Regardless of being placed in the lowest 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, the estate retains a strong sense and sense of community among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, Scartho is classified among the most prosperous 10% nationally.
A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent
This phenomenon is repeated nationally. The Stanhope estate in Ashford, Kent, a mid-century housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of neighbourhoods in England. It is immediately adjacent by spacious detached homes built in the 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and quality of surroundings.
“They may possess bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” commented Phil Hockley, 63. “You’ll probably find many people in the new builds never even talk to each other.”
The economic gap is evident: an average family home costs about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide equivalent properties go for about £410,000.
Residents describe a palpable feeling of being overlooked. “This part of the community is neglected,” said resident Susan. “In this area our facilities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the community problems here are to do with poverty.”
The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a picture of an ever more segregated England, where wealth and need are frequently uncomfortably in close proximity.
