The Rising ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Affluence and Deprivation Are Found Cheek by Jowl in England.

Within Nunsthorpe, inhabitants occupy homes only a few metres from their more affluent neighbours in nearby Scartho village. A 1.8-metre-high wall physically separates the two areas in the town of Grimsby, blocking off paths and streets that once connected them.

“It’s the divide between rich and poor,” said a resident, aged 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 mix with us.”

A Stark Pattern Across the Country

Data from government statistics shows the extent of disparity can run, sometimes across little more than a few metres of asphalt, a hedge row or a wall. Decades of austerity and underinvestment have led to a situation where a majority of local authorities now contain a neighbourhood classified as one of the poorest in the country.

The geographical widening of poverty has led to a significant rise in the number of locations where disadvantaged and affluent people end up living side by side. Just a few years ago, only 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods adjoined one of the least deprived. That figure increased to 119 in the most recent data.

A Barrier Which Divides More Than Land

At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the biggest in the UK and starkly obvious. The barrier transcends being just a metaphorical division; it causes tangible problems for everyday life.

• School runs that ought to take 15-20 minutes turn into an hour-long detour.
• Access to key services like supermarkets, schools and employment centres is made more difficult.
• The area can attract antisocial behaviour, with instances of rubbish being dumped over the wall and related problems.

“You try to have a nice house and nice garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one resident, motioning at the rusted metal wall.

Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Challenges

Within Centre4, workers stress that support does not recognise addresses. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” said director a community leader.

Regardless of being placed in the lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate boasts a strong sense and feeling of togetherness among its residents. Meanwhile, the neighbouring area ranks among the least deprived 10% nationally.

A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford

This pattern is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of neighbourhoods in the country. It is closely bordered by spacious detached homes built in the 2000s that are in the top 10% for job prospects and living environment.

“They may possess larger properties, but here there’s more community,” said Phil Hockley, aged 63. “It’s likely a lot of people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.”

The economic divide is evident: an average family home sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while on the other side equivalent homes go for about £410,000.

Residents describe a tangible feeling of being overlooked. “This part of the community is neglected,” stated holistic health worker Susan. “In this area our amenities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the community problems here are related to financial hardship.”

The increase in these ‘inequality borders’ presents a picture of an increasingly divided England, where wealth and deprivation are often awkwardly in close proximity.