A Rising ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Prosperity and Deprivation Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in Across England.

Within Nunsthorpe, residents live in homes just a few metres from their more affluent neighbours in the adjacent Scartho. A six-foot-tall wall literally divides the two communities in the town of Grimsby, sealing off roads and walkways that once connected them.

“It’s the divide between rich and poor,” said Serenity Colley, 37. “It’s been like this since 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 government statistics reveals the extent of inequality can run, at times over nothing more than a few metres of asphalt, a hedge row or a wall. Years of budget cuts and underinvestment have led to a situation where a majority of councils now contain a locality classified as one of the most deprived in the country.

The spread of poverty has led to a significant rise in the number of places where deprived and affluent people find themselves as immediate neighbours. In 2019, just 65 of the most deprived areas bordered one of the least deprived. That figure increased to 119 in the latest data.

A Barrier Which Divides More Than Space

At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the most pronounced in the country and painfully apparent. The wall transcends being just a symbolic division; it creates very real difficulties for daily routines.

• School runs that should take a quarter of an hour turn into an hour-long detour.
• Reaching important amenities like grocery stores, schools and employment centres is made more difficult.
• The area often sees vandalism and loitering, with reports of rubbish being thrown over the wall and related issues.

“People strive to have a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one local, motioning at the rusted barricade.

Community Spirit Amidst Hardship

Within Centre4, workers stress that support transcends postcodes. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate 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 feeling of togetherness among its residents. By contrast, Scartho ranks among the least deprived 10% overall.

A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford

This pattern is mirrored nationally. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in the country. It is immediately adjacent by large detached homes built in the 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for employment and living environment.

“They might have bigger houses, but here there’s more community,” said Phil Hockley, 63. “It’s likely many people over there 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 on the other side comparable properties go for about £410,000.

Residents describe a palpable feeling of neglect. “This part of the community gets ignored,” stated holistic health worker Susan. “Over here our facilities have slowly been taken away, and the majority of the community problems here are related to poverty.”

The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a portrait of an ever more divided society, where wealth and need are frequently uncomfortably in close proximity.