A Growing ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: How Prosperity and Hardship Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in Across England.
In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, residents live in properties just several yards from their wealthier counterparts in the adjacent Scartho village. One six-foot-tall barricade literally separates the two communities in the town of Grimsby, sealing off roads and walkways that previously linked them.
“This is the divide between rich and poor,” remarked Serenity Colley, 37. “It has been there since I’ve known. I doubt they’ll take it down because I don’t think they’ll want to associate with us.”
An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country
Data from government figures shows how deep inequality often exists, at times across little more than a few metres of tarmac, a hedge row or a barrier. Years of budget cuts and lack of funding mean almost two-thirds of local authorities now contain a neighbourhood ranking as one of the poorest in the country.
This spread of poverty has coincided with a significant increase in the number of locations where deprived and affluent residents find themselves as immediate neighbours. In 2019, only 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods adjoined one of the wealthiest. That figure increased to 119 in the latest data.
A Barrier Which Divides More Than Land
In Grimsby, the gap is the biggest in the country and starkly apparent. The wall is much more than a metaphorical divide; it causes tangible difficulties for daily routines.
- The school commute that should take 15-20 minutes become an sixty-minute detour.
- Reaching important amenities like grocery stores, educational facilities and care homes is hindered.
- The site often sees antisocial behaviour, with instances of litter being thrown over the wall and related problems.
“People strive to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one local, motioning at the corroded metal wall.
Local Bonds Amidst Hardship
Within a local community centre, staff emphasise that need transcends postcodes. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” explained director Tracey Good.
Regardless of ranking in the lowest 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe retains a strong sense and feeling of togetherness among its residents. By contrast, Scartho is classified among the most prosperous 10% overall.
A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford
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 closely bordered by spacious houses built in the early 2000s that are in the top 10% for job prospects and quality of surroundings.
“They might have bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” commented a long-term resident, aged 63. “It’s likely many people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.”
The financial divide is clear: an average family home costs about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide equivalent properties fetch about £410,000.
Locals describe a tangible sense of being overlooked. “This part of the community gets ignored,” said holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our amenities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the community problems here are related to poverty.”
The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a picture of an ever more divided England, where wealth and deprivation are frequently awkwardly in close proximity.
