A Growing ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: The Way Prosperity and Hardship Are Found Cheek by Jowl in Across England.

Within Nunsthorpe, inhabitants live in homes only a few metres from their more affluent neighbours in the adjacent Scartho. A 1.8-metre-high wall physically divides the two communities in the town of Grimsby, blocking off paths and streets that previously connected them.

“It’s the divide between rich and poor,” said a resident, aged 37. “It’s been like this since I’ve known. I doubt they’ll take it down because I suspect they’ll want to mix with us.”

An Increasingly Common National Picture

Data from official figures shows the extent of disparity often exists, sometimes over little more than a few metres of asphalt, a line of hedges or a wall. Decades of budget cuts and lack of funding have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of local authorities now contain a neighbourhood classified as one of the poorest in the country.

The spread of deprivation has led to a sharp rise in the quantity of places where disadvantaged and well-off residents end up as immediate neighbours. In 2019, only 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods adjoined one of the wealthiest. That figure increased to 119 in the latest data.

A Barrier Which Divides More Than Space

At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the biggest in the UK and painfully apparent. The wall transcends being just a metaphorical divide; it creates very real problems for everyday life.

• School runs that ought to take a quarter of an hour become an hour-long journey.
• Reaching key services like grocery stores, schools and employment centres is hindered.
• The area can attract vandalism and loitering, with reports of litter 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 local, motioning at the rusted metal wall.

Community Spirit Against a Backdrop of Hardship

Within Centre4, workers emphasise that support does not recognise postcodes. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” said director Tracey Good.

Despite being placed in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate retains a strong sense and sense of togetherness among its residents. By contrast, the neighbouring area ranks among the least deprived 10% nationally.

Echoes Elsewhere: An Estate in Kent

This phenomenon is repeated nationally. The Stanhope area in Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of neighbourhoods in the country. It is immediately adjacent by large detached homes built in the 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and quality of surroundings.

“They might have bigger houses, but here there’s more community,” commented Phil Hockley, 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people over there never even talk to each other.”

The economic gap is clear: an typical three-bedroom house costs about £275,000 on the estate, while on the other side comparable properties fetch about £410,000.

Residents describe a palpable feeling of neglect. “This part of the community gets ignored,” said resident Susan. “In this area our facilities have slowly been taken away, and most of the community problems here are related to poverty.”

The rise in these ‘inequality borders’ paints a portrait of an ever more divided England, where prosperity and need are frequently awkwardly close neighbours.