The Growing ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: The Way Prosperity and Deprivation Are Found Side by Side in England.

In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants occupy properties just a few metres from their wealthier counterparts in the adjacent Scartho village. One 1.8-metre-high wall literally separates the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off roads and walkways that previously linked them.

“This is the divide between rich and poor,” remarked Serenity Colley, aged 37. “It has been there for as long as I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll bring it down because I don’t think they’ll want to mix with us.”

An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country

Data from official statistics reveals the extent of disparity often exists, at times across nothing more than a short distance of tarmac, a line of hedges or a wall. Years of austerity and lack of funding mean a majority of local authorities now contain a locality classified as one of the poorest in the country.

This spread of poverty has led to a sharp increase in the quantity of locations where deprived and well-off residents find themselves as immediate neighbours. Just a few years ago, just 65 of the most deprived areas bordered one of the least deprived. This number rose to 119 in the latest data.

A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Space

At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the biggest in the UK and painfully apparent. The barrier transcends being just a symbolic divide; it causes tangible problems for everyday life.

• The school commute that should take 15-20 minutes turn into an hour-long journey.
• Access to key amenities like supermarkets, schools and employment centres is made more difficult.
• The site often sees vandalism and loitering, with instances of rubbish being thrown over the wall and other problems.

“People strive to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one resident, gesturing towards the corroded barricade.

Local Bonds Amidst Challenges

At a local community centre, workers emphasise that need transcends postcodes. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” explained chief executive a community leader.

Regardless of ranking in the lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe boasts a strong sense and feeling of community among its inhabitants. By contrast, Scartho ranks among the least deprived 10% nationally.

A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford

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 neighbourhoods in the country. It is immediately adjacent by large houses built in the 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and quality of surroundings.

“They may possess larger properties, but here there’s more community,” commented a long-term resident, aged 63. “It’s likely many people over there never even talk to each other.”

The economic divide is clear: an typical three-bedroom house costs about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide comparable homes go for about £410,000.

Locals speak of a palpable feeling of neglect. “This part of the community gets ignored,” stated holistic health worker Susan. “In this area our facilities have slowly been taken away, and the majority of the community problems here are to do with poverty.”

The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a picture of an increasingly divided society, where wealth and deprivation are frequently awkwardly in close proximity.