A Growing ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: The Way Affluence and Deprivation Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in England.
Within a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants occupy homes only a few metres from their more affluent neighbours in nearby Scartho village. A six-foot-tall wall physically divides the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off roads and walkways that once connected them.
“It’s 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 take it down because I don’t think they’ll want to mix with us.”
An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country
Analysis of government statistics shows how deep inequality often exists, sometimes over little more than a few metres of asphalt, a line of hedges or a barrier. Years of austerity and underinvestment have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of local authorities now contain a neighbourhood classified as one of the most deprived in the nation.
The spread of poverty has coincided with a sharp rise in the quantity of locations where deprived and affluent residents find themselves living side by side. Just a few years ago, just 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods adjoined one of the least deprived. That figure rose to 119 in the most recent data.
A Barrier Which Divides More Than Land
At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the biggest in the UK and starkly obvious. The barrier transcends being just a metaphorical division; it causes tangible problems for daily routines.
- The school commute that ought to take 15-20 minutes turn into an hour-long detour.
- Access to key amenities like grocery stores, schools and care homes is hindered.
- The area can attract vandalism and loitering, with reports of litter being dumped over the wall and other problems.
“You try to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one local, motioning at the corroded metal wall.
Community Spirit Amidst Hardship
Within Centre4, staff stress that support does not recognise addresses. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” said director Tracey Good.
Despite ranking in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe boasts a fierce loyalty and sense of community among its inhabitants. By contrast, Scartho ranks among the least deprived 10% overall.
A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent
This pattern is repeated across the country. The Stanhope area in Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in England. It is closely bordered by spacious houses built in the early 2000s that are in the top 10% for job prospects and living environment.
“They may possess larger properties, but here there’s more community,” commented a long-term resident, 63. “You’ll probably find many people over there don’t even speak to each other.”
The financial divide is evident: an typical family home costs about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide equivalent properties fetch about £410,000.
Locals speak of a palpable feeling of neglect. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” stated holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our facilities have slowly been taken away, and the majority of the community problems here are to do with poverty.”
The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a portrait of an ever more divided England, where prosperity and deprivation are frequently uncomfortably close neighbours.
