The Rising ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Prosperity and Hardship Now Sit Side by Side in England.

In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, residents live in properties just a few metres from their more affluent counterparts in the adjacent Scartho. One six-foot-tall barricade literally divides the two areas in the town of Grimsby, sealing off paths and streets that once connected them.

“This is the divide between rich and poor,” said a resident, 37. “It’s been like this since I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll bring it down because I don’t think they’ll want to associate with us.”

An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country

Analysis of government statistics reveals how deep disparity often exists, at times over nothing more than a short distance of tarmac, a hedge row or a barrier. Years of budget cuts and lack of funding have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of local authorities now have a locality ranking as one of the most deprived in the country.

This geographical widening of poverty has led to a sharp increase in the quantity of locations where deprived and affluent residents end up living side by side. In 2019, only 65 of the poorest areas bordered one of the wealthiest. This number rose to 119 in the most recent data.

A Barrier Which Divides More Than Space

At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the most pronounced in the country and painfully apparent. The wall transcends being just a metaphorical divide; it causes tangible difficulties for everyday life.

• School runs that ought to take 15-20 minutes become an sixty-minute detour.
• Reaching important services like supermarkets, educational facilities and employment centres is hindered.
• The area often sees vandalism and loitering, with reports of rubbish being dumped over the wall and related issues.

“You try to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one local, gesturing towards the rusted barricade.

Community Spirit Amidst Hardship

At Centre4, workers stress that support does not recognise postcodes. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” said director a community leader.

Despite being placed in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, the estate boasts a strong sense and sense of togetherness among its inhabitants. By contrast, the neighbouring area is classified among the least deprived 10% nationally.

Echoes Elsewhere: Stanhope in Ashford

This pattern is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of neighbourhoods in the country. It is immediately adjacent by large houses built in the 2000s that are in the top 10% for employment and quality of surroundings.

“They might have bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” said Phil Hockley, 63. “It’s likely many people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.”

The financial divide is clear: an average three-bedroom house costs about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide equivalent properties fetch about £410,000.

Residents speak of a tangible feeling of neglect. “This part of the community is neglected,” said resident Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our amenities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the issues we face here are to do with financial hardship.”

The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a portrait of an increasingly segregated society, where wealth and deprivation are frequently uncomfortably in close proximity.