The Rising ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: How Prosperity and Hardship Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in Across England.
In Nunsthorpe, inhabitants occupy properties just several yards from their wealthier counterparts in the adjacent Scartho. A 1.8-metre-high barricade physically separates the two communities in the town of Grimsby, sealing off paths and streets that previously linked them.
“It’s the divide between rich and poor,” remarked Serenity Colley, 37. “It has been there for as long as I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll take it down because I suspect they’ll want to associate with us.”
An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country
Data from official statistics shows the extent of inequality can run, sometimes over little more than a few metres of tarmac, a hedge row or a wall. Years of budget cuts and underinvestment have led to a situation where a majority of local authorities now have a locality classified as one of the most deprived in the nation.
The spread of deprivation has led to a significant increase in the number of places where deprived and well-off people find themselves living side by side. In 2019, only 65 of the most deprived areas bordered one of the least deprived. This number rose to 119 in the most recent data.
A Wall That Does More Than Separate Space
At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the most pronounced in the country and painfully apparent. The barrier transcends being just a metaphorical divide; it creates very real difficulties for daily routines.
- The school commute that ought to take 15-20 minutes turn into an sixty-minute journey.
- Reaching important services like grocery stores, schools and care homes is made more difficult.
- The area can attract antisocial behaviour, with instances of rubbish being thrown over the wall and other issues.
“You try to have a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one local, motioning at the rusted metal wall.
Local Bonds Amidst Challenges
Within a local community centre, staff emphasise that need transcends postcodes. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” said director Tracey Good.
Regardless of ranking in the lowest 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe boasts a strong sense and sense of community among its residents. By contrast, Scartho ranks among the most prosperous 10% nationally.
A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford
This phenomenon is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in England. It is closely bordered by spacious houses built in the 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and quality of surroundings.
“They might have larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” said Phil Hockley, 63. “It’s likely many people in the new builds never even talk to each other.”
The financial gap is clear: an typical family home sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide comparable homes go for about £410,000.
Locals describe a palpable sense of neglect. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” stated resident Susan. “In this area our facilities have slowly been taken away, and most of the community problems here are related to financial hardship.”
The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a picture of an increasingly divided society, where wealth and need are often uncomfortably in close proximity.