The Rising ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Prosperity and Deprivation Are Found Cheek by Jowl in England.

In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants live in homes only several yards from their wealthier neighbours in nearby Scartho village. A 1.8-metre-high barricade literally divides the two areas in the town of Grimsby, blocking off roads and walkways that previously linked them.

“It’s the posh-poor divide,” remarked a resident, 37. “It’s been like this 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.”

A Stark National Picture

Analysis of government figures reveals how deep disparity can run, at times across little more than a few metres of tarmac, a hedge row or a wall. Decades of austerity and underinvestment mean a majority of local authorities now contain a locality ranking as one of the most deprived in the country.

The geographical widening of deprivation has coincided with a significant rise in the number of locations where disadvantaged and affluent people end up as immediate neighbours. In 2019, just 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods bordered one of the wealthiest. This number rose to 119 in the most recent data.

A Wall That Divides More Than Land

In Grimsby, the divide is the biggest in the UK and painfully obvious. The wall transcends being just a metaphorical division; it creates very real problems for daily routines.

• School runs that ought to take 15-20 minutes become an sixty-minute journey.
• Access to important amenities like grocery stores, educational facilities and employment centres is hindered.
• The area can attract antisocial behaviour, with instances of rubbish being thrown over the wall and related problems.

“People strive to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one resident, motioning at the corroded barricade.

Local Bonds Amidst Challenges

At Centre4, staff emphasise that support transcends addresses. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” said chief executive a community leader.

Despite ranking in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe boasts a strong sense and sense of togetherness among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, the neighbouring area ranks among the least deprived 10% nationally.

A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford

This phenomenon is repeated across the country. The Stanhope area in Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in England. It is immediately adjacent by spacious detached homes built in the early 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for employment and living environment.

“They might have larger properties, but here there’s more community,” commented a long-term resident, 63. “You’ll probably find many people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.”

The economic divide is evident: an typical three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while on the other side comparable properties fetch about £410,000.

Residents speak of a tangible feeling of neglect. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” stated holistic health worker Susan. “In this area our facilities have slowly been taken away, and the majority of the community problems here are related to poverty.”

The rise in these ‘inequality borders’ paints a picture of an increasingly segregated society, where wealth and deprivation are often awkwardly close neighbours.