🔗 Share this article The Growing ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: How Affluence and Deprivation Are Found Side by Side in Across England. In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants live in homes only a few metres from their more affluent neighbours in the adjacent Scartho. One 1.8-metre-high wall literally divides the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off roads and walkways that previously linked them. “This is the divide between rich and poor,” remarked Serenity Colley, 37. “It has been there since 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 National Picture Data from government figures reveals how deep disparity can run, sometimes over little more than a short distance of asphalt, a hedge row or a wall. Years of budget cuts and underinvestment have led to a situation where a majority of councils now contain a neighbourhood ranking as one of the most deprived in the country. The spread of deprivation has coincided with a sharp rise in the quantity of locations where disadvantaged and well-off people end up as immediate neighbours. Just a few years ago, just 65 of the most deprived areas adjoined one of the wealthiest. This number rose to 119 in the latest data. A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Space In Grimsby, the gap is the biggest in the UK and starkly obvious. The wall is much more than a symbolic division; it creates tangible difficulties for everyday life. The school commute that should take 15-20 minutes turn into an hour-long detour. Reaching important services like grocery stores, schools and care homes is made more difficult. The area often sees vandalism and loitering, with instances of litter being dumped over the wall and related problems. “People strive to have a nice house and nice garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one local, gesturing towards the corroded barricade. Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Hardship Within Centre4, staff stress that need does not recognise addresses. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” said director Tracey Good. Regardless of being placed in the lowest 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe retains a strong sense and sense of togetherness among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, the neighbouring area is classified among the most prosperous 10% overall. A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford This pattern is repeated across the country. The Stanhope area in Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of neighbourhoods in England. It is closely bordered by large houses built in the 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for employment and quality of surroundings. “They might have larger properties, but here there’s more community,” commented a long-term resident, 63. “You’ll probably find many people over there don’t even speak to each other.” The economic gap is evident: an average three-bedroom house costs about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide equivalent homes go for about £410,000. Locals speak of a palpable feeling of being overlooked. “This part of the community gets ignored,” said resident Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our amenities have slowly been taken away, and the majority of the community problems here are to do with financial hardship.” The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a portrait of an increasingly segregated England, where prosperity and deprivation are frequently awkwardly in close proximity.
In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants live in homes only a few metres from their more affluent neighbours in the adjacent Scartho. One 1.8-metre-high wall literally divides the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off roads and walkways that previously linked them. “This is the divide between rich and poor,” remarked Serenity Colley, 37. “It has been there since 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 National Picture Data from government figures reveals how deep disparity can run, sometimes over little more than a short distance of asphalt, a hedge row or a wall. Years of budget cuts and underinvestment have led to a situation where a majority of councils now contain a neighbourhood ranking as one of the most deprived in the country. The spread of deprivation has coincided with a sharp rise in the quantity of locations where disadvantaged and well-off people end up as immediate neighbours. Just a few years ago, just 65 of the most deprived areas adjoined one of the wealthiest. This number rose to 119 in the latest data. A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Space In Grimsby, the gap is the biggest in the UK and starkly obvious. The wall is much more than a symbolic division; it creates tangible difficulties for everyday life. The school commute that should take 15-20 minutes turn into an hour-long detour. Reaching important services like grocery stores, schools and care homes is made more difficult. The area often sees vandalism and loitering, with instances of litter being dumped over the wall and related problems. “People strive to have a nice house and nice garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one local, gesturing towards the corroded barricade. Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Hardship Within Centre4, staff stress that need does not recognise addresses. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” said director Tracey Good. Regardless of being placed in the lowest 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe retains a strong sense and sense of togetherness among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, the neighbouring area is classified among the most prosperous 10% overall. A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford This pattern is repeated across the country. The Stanhope area in Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of neighbourhoods in England. It is closely bordered by large houses built in the 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for employment and quality of surroundings. “They might have larger properties, but here there’s more community,” commented a long-term resident, 63. “You’ll probably find many people over there don’t even speak to each other.” The economic gap is evident: an average three-bedroom house costs about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide equivalent homes go for about £410,000. Locals speak of a palpable feeling of being overlooked. “This part of the community gets ignored,” said resident Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our amenities have slowly been taken away, and the majority of the community problems here are to do with financial hardship.” The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a portrait of an increasingly segregated England, where prosperity and deprivation are frequently awkwardly in close proximity.