A Growing ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Prosperity and Hardship Are Found Side by Side in England.
Within a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, residents live in homes only several yards from their more affluent neighbours in nearby Scartho. A 1.8-metre-high barricade literally divides the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off roads and walkways that previously connected them.
“This is the posh-poor divide,” said Serenity Colley, 37. “It’s been like this since I’ve known. I doubt they’ll bring it down because I don’t think they’ll want to mix with us.”
A Stark National Picture
Data from government statistics shows the extent of disparity often exists, at times across nothing more than a short distance of tarmac, a line of hedges or a barrier. Years of budget cuts and lack of funding mean a majority of local authorities now contain a locality ranking as one of the most deprived in the country.
This geographical widening of deprivation has coincided with a sharp increase in the number of places where deprived and well-off people find themselves living side by side. Just a few years ago, only 65 of the poorest areas bordered one of the wealthiest. This number rose to 119 in the latest data.
A Barrier Which Divides More Than Space
In Grimsby, the gap is the most pronounced in the UK and painfully obvious. The wall is much more than a metaphorical division; it causes tangible problems for daily routines.
- The school commute that ought to take a quarter of an hour turn into an sixty-minute journey.
- Access to important services like grocery stores, schools and care homes is made more difficult.
- The site often sees vandalism and loitering, with reports of litter being dumped over the wall and related issues.
“People strive to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one resident, motioning at the rusted metal wall.
Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Hardship
At a local community centre, workers emphasise that need does not recognise addresses. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” explained director Tracey Good.
Regardless of being placed in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe retains a strong sense and sense of community among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, the neighbouring area ranks among the least deprived 10% nationally.
A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent
This phenomenon is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope area in Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of neighbourhoods in England. It is immediately adjacent by large houses built in the 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and living environment.
“They may possess bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” said a long-term resident, 63. “It’s likely many people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.”
The financial gap is clear: an average family home sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide equivalent homes go for about £410,000.
Locals speak of a palpable feeling of neglect. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” stated holistic health worker Susan. “Over here our amenities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the issues we face here are to do with financial hardship.”
The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a picture of an ever more segregated England, where wealth and deprivation are often awkwardly close neighbours.
