A Growing ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: The Way Prosperity and Deprivation Now Sit Side by Side in Across England.
In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants live in homes just several yards from their more affluent neighbours in nearby Scartho. One six-foot-tall wall literally separates the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off paths and streets that previously connected them.
“It’s the divide between rich and poor,” said 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.”
A Stark National Picture
Analysis of government figures shows how deep disparity often exists, at times over little more than a few metres of asphalt, a line of hedges or a barrier. Decades of austerity and lack of funding have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of local authorities now have a locality classified as one of the most deprived in the country.
The spread of deprivation has led to a sharp rise in the quantity of locations where deprived and affluent residents find themselves living side by side. In 2019, just 65 of the most deprived areas bordered one of the least deprived. That figure increased to 119 in the most recent data.
A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Space
At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the most pronounced in the country and painfully apparent. The wall is much more than a metaphorical division; it creates very real difficulties for daily routines.
- School runs that should take 15-20 minutes become an sixty-minute journey.
- Access to important amenities like grocery stores, educational facilities and care homes is hindered.
- The area can attract vandalism and loitering, with reports of litter being thrown over the wall and related problems.
“People strive to maintain a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one resident, gesturing towards the corroded barricade.
Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Challenges
At Centre4, staff emphasise that need transcends postcodes. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” explained chief executive Tracey Good.
Despite ranking in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe boasts a strong sense and feeling of community among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, the neighbouring area is classified among the most prosperous 10% nationally.
A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford
This phenomenon is repeated nationally. The Stanhope area in Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the 10% most deprived of neighbourhoods in the country. It is immediately adjacent by spacious detached homes built in the 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and living environment.
“They might have larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” commented Phil Hockley, 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.”
The economic divide is evident: an average family home costs about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide comparable properties go for about £410,000.
Residents speak of a tangible sense of neglect. “This part of the community gets ignored,” said resident Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our facilities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the community problems here are to do with poverty.”
The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a portrait of an ever more segregated society, where wealth and deprivation are frequently awkwardly close neighbours.