A Growing ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Affluence and Deprivation Are Found Cheek by Jowl in England.

In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants live in properties only a few metres from their more affluent neighbours in the adjacent Scartho. A 1.8-metre-high wall literally divides the two areas in the town of Grimsby, sealing off paths and streets that previously connected them.

“It’s the posh-poor divide,” said Serenity Colley, 37. “It’s been like this since I’ve known. I doubt they’ll take it down because I suspect they’ll want to associate with us.”

A Stark National Picture

Analysis of government statistics shows the extent of disparity often exists, at times over nothing more than a few metres of tarmac, a line of hedges or a barrier. Years of budget cuts and lack of funding have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of councils now contain a neighbourhood ranking as one of the poorest in the country.

This spread of deprivation has led to a sharp rise in the number of places where disadvantaged and affluent residents end up living side by side. In 2019, only 65 of the most deprived areas bordered one of the wealthiest. That figure rose to 119 in the latest data.

A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Space

At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the most pronounced in the country and painfully obvious. The barrier is much more than a symbolic divide; it creates very real problems for everyday life.

• The school commute that ought to take a quarter of an hour become an sixty-minute journey.
• Reaching key services like supermarkets, educational facilities and care homes is made more difficult.
• The site can attract antisocial behaviour, with reports of rubbish being thrown over the wall and related problems.

“You try to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” noted one resident, gesturing towards the rusted metal wall.

Community Spirit Against a Backdrop of Challenges

At Centre4, workers stress that support does not recognise addresses. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” explained director a community leader.

Despite being placed in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe boasts a fierce loyalty and feeling of togetherness among its inhabitants. By contrast, the neighbouring area ranks among the least deprived 10% nationally.

A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent

This pattern is repeated across the country. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of neighbourhoods in the country. It is immediately adjacent by spacious detached homes built in the early 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 a long-term resident, 63. “You’ll probably find many people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.”

The economic divide is clear: an average family home costs about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide comparable properties fetch about £410,000.

Locals speak of a tangible feeling of neglect. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” stated resident Susan. “In this area our amenities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the community problems here are related to financial hardship.”

The increase in these ‘inequality borders’ presents a picture of an increasingly segregated England, where prosperity and need are often uncomfortably close neighbours.