A Growing ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Affluence and Deprivation Are Found Side by Side in England.
In Nunsthorpe, inhabitants live in properties only a few metres from their wealthier neighbours in nearby Scartho village. A six-foot-tall wall literally separates the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off roads and walkways that previously connected them.
“It’s the posh-poor divide,” remarked Serenity Colley, aged 37. “It’s been like this for as long as I’ve known. I doubt they’ll bring it down because I suspect they’ll want to associate with us.”
An Increasingly Common National Picture
Analysis of government figures reveals the extent of inequality can run, sometimes across nothing more than a short distance of asphalt, a hedge row or a wall. Decades of austerity and lack of funding have led to a situation where a majority of local authorities now contain a locality classified as one of the most deprived in the country.
This geographical widening of deprivation has led to a significant rise in the number of locations where deprived and well-off residents find themselves living side by side. In 2019, only 65 of the most deprived areas adjoined one of the wealthiest. This number rose to 119 in the most recent data.
A Wall That Divides More Than Land
At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the most pronounced in the UK and starkly apparent. The wall transcends being just a symbolic division; it creates very real problems for everyday life.
- The school commute that ought to take 15-20 minutes become an hour-long detour.
- Access to key services like supermarkets, schools and employment centres is hindered.
- The site often sees antisocial behaviour, with reports of litter being thrown over the wall and other issues.
“People strive to maintain a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one local, gesturing towards the corroded metal wall.
Local Bonds Amidst Hardship
Within a local community centre, staff emphasise that support does not recognise postcodes. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” said director a community leader.
Despite ranking in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe retains a strong sense and feeling of community among its inhabitants. By contrast, Scartho ranks among the least deprived 10% overall.
A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent
This pattern is repeated nationally. The Stanhope area in Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in the country. It is closely bordered by large houses built in the 2000s that sit in the top 10% for employment and quality of surroundings.
“They might have larger properties, but here there’s more community,” said Phil Hockley, aged 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people over there don’t even speak to each other.”
The financial gap is clear: an average three-bedroom house costs about £275,000 on the estate, while on the other side equivalent properties go for about £410,000.
Locals speak of a tangible feeling of being overlooked. “This part of the community gets ignored,” said resident Susan. “Over here our amenities have slowly been taken away, and most of the issues we face here are to do with poverty.”
The increase in these ‘inequality borders’ presents a portrait of an increasingly segregated society, where wealth and need are often uncomfortably close neighbours.
