A Rising ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: How Prosperity and Hardship Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in England.
In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, residents occupy homes only a few metres from their more affluent neighbours in nearby Scartho village. One six-foot-tall barricade physically separates the two areas in the town of Grimsby, sealing off roads and walkways that previously linked them.
“This is the divide between rich and poor,” said Serenity Colley, 37. “It has been there since I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll take it down because I don’t think they’ll want to associate with us.”
A Stark National Picture
Analysis of government statistics reveals the extent of inequality often exists, sometimes across nothing more than a few metres of tarmac, a line of hedges or a barrier. Years of austerity and lack of funding mean a majority of councils now contain a locality ranking as one of the poorest in the country.
The spread of deprivation has led to a sharp increase in the quantity of places where deprived and well-off residents end up as immediate neighbours. In 2019, only 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods bordered one of the wealthiest. This number 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 UK and painfully obvious. The wall is much more than a metaphorical division; it causes very real difficulties for daily routines.
- The school commute that should take a quarter of an hour become an sixty-minute detour.
- Access to important services like grocery stores, schools and care homes is made more difficult.
- The area often sees vandalism and loitering, with instances of litter being dumped over the wall and other issues.
“People strive to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” noted one local, motioning at the corroded barricade.
Local Bonds Amidst Hardship
At Centre4, workers emphasise that need transcends addresses. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” said chief executive a community leader.
Regardless of ranking in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe retains a strong sense and sense of community among its residents. By contrast, the neighbouring area is classified among the most prosperous 10% overall.
Echoes Elsewhere: An Estate in Kent
This pattern is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in the country. It is immediately adjacent by large detached homes built in the early 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for employment and quality of surroundings.
“They might have bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” said Phil Hockley, aged 63. “It’s likely many people over there never even talk to each other.”
The financial divide is evident: an average three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while on the other side equivalent homes fetch about £410,000.
Residents describe a tangible sense of neglect. “This part of the community is neglected,” stated resident Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our amenities have gradually disappeared, and most of the issues we face here are related to poverty.”
The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a portrait of an ever more divided society, where prosperity and deprivation are often awkwardly in close proximity.