The Rising ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: The Way Affluence and Deprivation Are Found Side by Side in Across England.

Within Nunsthorpe, residents live in homes only a few metres from their wealthier counterparts in the adjacent Scartho village. A six-foot-tall barricade literally separates the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off roads and walkways that previously linked them.

“It’s the divide between rich and poor,” remarked a resident, aged 37. “It’s been like this for as long as I’ve known. I doubt they’ll take it down because I don’t think they’ll want to mix with us.”

A Stark Pattern Across the Country

Analysis of official figures reveals the extent of disparity often exists, at times across little more than a few metres of asphalt, a hedge row or a barrier. Decades of austerity and lack of funding have led to a situation where a majority of councils now have a locality ranking as one of the poorest in the country.

The geographical widening of poverty has coincided with a significant increase in the number of places where disadvantaged and well-off residents end up as immediate neighbours. In 2019, just 65 of the most deprived areas adjoined one of the wealthiest. That figure rose to 119 in the latest data.

A Wall That Divides More Than Land

At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the most pronounced in the country and starkly obvious. The wall transcends being just a symbolic division; it causes very real problems for everyday life.

• The school commute that ought to take 15-20 minutes turn into an hour-long detour.
• Access to key services like supermarkets, educational facilities and employment centres is hindered.
• The area can attract antisocial behaviour, with instances of litter being dumped over the wall and related problems.

“You try to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one local, motioning at the corroded metal wall.

Local Bonds Amidst Challenges

At Centre4, staff stress that need transcends addresses. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” said director Tracey Good.

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

Echoes Elsewhere: An Estate in Kent

This phenomenon is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in England. It is closely bordered by spacious houses built in the 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for employment and living environment.

“They may possess bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” said a long-term resident, 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.”

The financial gap is evident: an typical three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while on the other side comparable homes go for about £410,000.

Residents speak of a palpable sense of neglect. “This part of the community gets ignored,” said holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our facilities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the issues we face here are related to poverty.”

The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a picture of an ever more divided society, where wealth and deprivation are often uncomfortably close neighbours.