🔗 Share this article A Rising ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: How Prosperity and Hardship Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in Across England. Within a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, residents occupy properties only several yards from their wealthier counterparts in nearby Scartho. One six-foot-tall wall literally divides the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off paths and streets that once connected them. “This is the posh-poor divide,” said 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 suspect they’ll want to mix with us.” A Stark National Picture Analysis of government figures shows how deep inequality can run, sometimes across nothing more than a short distance of asphalt, a hedge row or a wall. Years of budget cuts and underinvestment mean almost two-thirds of councils now contain a neighbourhood ranking as one of the most deprived in the country. The spread of deprivation has led to a significant increase in the quantity of places where deprived and well-off residents find themselves living side by side. In 2019, only 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods bordered one of the least deprived. That figure increased to 119 in the latest data. A Wall That Does More Than Separate Space At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the biggest in the country and starkly apparent. The wall transcends being just a symbolic division; it creates very real difficulties for daily routines. The school commute that should take 15-20 minutes become an hour-long journey. Access to key services like supermarkets, educational facilities and employment centres is hindered. The site often sees antisocial behaviour, with reports of litter being dumped over the wall and other problems. “People strive to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one resident, motioning at the corroded barricade. Local Bonds Amidst Hardship At a local community centre, workers emphasise that need transcends postcodes. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” said chief executive a community leader. Regardless of ranking in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, the estate boasts a strong sense and feeling of community among its residents. By contrast, the neighbouring area ranks among the most prosperous 10% overall. Echoes Elsewhere: Stanhope in Ashford This pattern is mirrored nationally. The Stanhope estate in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of neighbourhoods in the country. It is immediately adjacent by spacious detached homes built in the 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and living environment. “They might have larger properties, 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 never even talk to each other.” The economic divide is evident: an average family home costs about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide equivalent properties fetch about £410,000. Residents speak of a palpable feeling of neglect. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” said holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our amenities have slowly been taken away, and the majority of the issues we face here are to do with poverty.” The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a picture of an increasingly divided society, where wealth and need are often awkwardly in close proximity.
Within a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, residents occupy properties only several yards from their wealthier counterparts in nearby Scartho. One six-foot-tall wall literally divides the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off paths and streets that once connected them. “This is the posh-poor divide,” said 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 suspect they’ll want to mix with us.” A Stark National Picture Analysis of government figures shows how deep inequality can run, sometimes across nothing more than a short distance of asphalt, a hedge row or a wall. Years of budget cuts and underinvestment mean almost two-thirds of councils now contain a neighbourhood ranking as one of the most deprived in the country. The spread of deprivation has led to a significant increase in the quantity of places where deprived and well-off residents find themselves living side by side. In 2019, only 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods bordered one of the least deprived. That figure increased to 119 in the latest data. A Wall That Does More Than Separate Space At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the biggest in the country and starkly apparent. The wall transcends being just a symbolic division; it creates very real difficulties for daily routines. The school commute that should take 15-20 minutes become an hour-long journey. Access to key services like supermarkets, educational facilities and employment centres is hindered. The site often sees antisocial behaviour, with reports of litter being dumped over the wall and other problems. “People strive to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one resident, motioning at the corroded barricade. Local Bonds Amidst Hardship At a local community centre, workers emphasise that need transcends postcodes. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” said chief executive a community leader. Regardless of ranking in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, the estate boasts a strong sense and feeling of community among its residents. By contrast, the neighbouring area ranks among the most prosperous 10% overall. Echoes Elsewhere: Stanhope in Ashford This pattern is mirrored nationally. The Stanhope estate in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of neighbourhoods in the country. It is immediately adjacent by spacious detached homes built in the 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and living environment. “They might have larger properties, 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 never even talk to each other.” The economic divide is evident: an average family home costs about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide equivalent properties fetch about £410,000. Residents speak of a palpable feeling of neglect. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” said holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our amenities have slowly been taken away, and the majority of the issues we face here are to do with poverty.” The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a picture of an increasingly divided society, where wealth and need are often awkwardly in close proximity.