A Growing ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: How Affluence and Hardship Now Sit Side by Side in England.
Within Nunsthorpe, residents occupy properties only several yards from their more affluent counterparts in the adjacent Scartho. A 1.8-metre-high wall literally separates the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off paths and streets that previously connected them.
“This is the divide between rich and poor,” remarked a resident, 37. “It has been there for as long as I’ve known. I doubt they’ll bring it down because I suspect they’ll want to mix with us.”
An Increasingly Common National Picture
Data from government figures shows how deep disparity can run, at times over little more than a short distance of asphalt, a hedge row or a barrier. Years of budget cuts and lack of funding mean a majority of local authorities now contain a neighbourhood ranking as one of the poorest in the nation.
The geographical widening of deprivation has coincided with a significant increase in the number of places where deprived and affluent people end up living side by side. In 2019, only 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods bordered one of the wealthiest. That figure increased to 119 in the most recent data.
A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Land
In Grimsby, the divide is the biggest in the country and starkly obvious. The barrier transcends being just a metaphorical divide; it creates very real problems for everyday life.
- The school commute that should take a quarter of an hour become an hour-long journey.
- Reaching key amenities like grocery stores, educational facilities and employment centres is hindered.
- The site often sees vandalism and loitering, 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 live opposite that,” said one resident, gesturing towards the rusted barricade.
Community Spirit Against a Backdrop of Challenges
At a local community centre, staff stress that need does not recognise postcodes. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” said chief executive a community leader.
Despite being placed in the lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe retains a strong sense and sense of community among its residents. By contrast, Scartho ranks among the least deprived 10% nationally.
A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent
This phenomenon is repeated nationally. The Stanhope area 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 top 10% for employment and living environment.
“They may possess larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” said a long-term resident, aged 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people in the new builds never even talk to each other.”
The financial gap is evident: an average family home sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while on the other side equivalent homes fetch about £410,000.
Locals speak of a tangible feeling of neglect. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” said holistic health worker Susan. “Over here our amenities have slowly been taken away, and most of the community problems here are to do with poverty.”
The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a portrait of an increasingly divided England, where prosperity and deprivation are frequently awkwardly close neighbours.
