🔗 Share this article A Growing ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: The Way Affluence and Hardship Now Sit Side by Side in Across England. In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, residents occupy homes just several yards from their wealthier counterparts in nearby Scartho. A six-foot-tall barricade literally separates the two areas in the town of Grimsby, sealing off roads and walkways that previously connected them. “This is the posh-poor divide,” said a resident, 37. “It’s been like this for as long as I’ve known. I doubt they’ll take it down because I don’t think they’ll want to mix with us.” An Increasingly Common National Picture Data from government statistics reveals the extent of inequality can run, sometimes over nothing more than a short distance of asphalt, a hedge row or a wall. Decades of budget cuts and lack of funding mean almost two-thirds of local authorities now have a locality classified as one of the most deprived in the country. This geographical widening of poverty has led to a sharp rise 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 wealthiest. This number increased to 119 in the latest data. A Barrier Which Divides More Than Space In Grimsby, the gap is the biggest in the country and starkly apparent. The wall is much more than a symbolic division; it causes tangible difficulties for daily routines. The school commute that ought to take a quarter of an hour become an hour-long journey. Reaching important amenities like supermarkets, educational facilities and care homes is hindered. The site often sees vandalism and loitering, with reports 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,” said one local, gesturing towards the rusted barricade. Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Hardship Within a local community centre, staff stress that support transcends addresses. “Where you live is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” said director a community leader. Regardless of ranking in the lowest 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe retains a fierce loyalty and sense of togetherness among its inhabitants. By contrast, the neighbouring area is classified among the least deprived 10% nationally. Echoes Elsewhere: An Estate in Kent This pattern is repeated nationally. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of neighbourhoods in England. It is closely bordered by spacious detached homes built in the early 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for employment and quality of surroundings. “They might have bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” said Phil Hockley, 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.” The financial gap is clear: an average family home costs about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide comparable properties fetch about £410,000. Locals speak of a tangible sense of being overlooked. “This part of the community gets ignored,” stated resident Susan. “Over here our amenities have gradually disappeared, and most of the issues we face here are related to poverty.” The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a picture of an ever more segregated England, where prosperity and deprivation are frequently awkwardly in close proximity.
In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, residents occupy homes just several yards from their wealthier counterparts in nearby Scartho. A six-foot-tall barricade literally separates the two areas in the town of Grimsby, sealing off roads and walkways that previously connected them. “This is the posh-poor divide,” said a resident, 37. “It’s been like this for as long as I’ve known. I doubt they’ll take it down because I don’t think they’ll want to mix with us.” An Increasingly Common National Picture Data from government statistics reveals the extent of inequality can run, sometimes over nothing more than a short distance of asphalt, a hedge row or a wall. Decades of budget cuts and lack of funding mean almost two-thirds of local authorities now have a locality classified as one of the most deprived in the country. This geographical widening of poverty has led to a sharp rise 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 wealthiest. This number increased to 119 in the latest data. A Barrier Which Divides More Than Space In Grimsby, the gap is the biggest in the country and starkly apparent. The wall is much more than a symbolic division; it causes tangible difficulties for daily routines. The school commute that ought to take a quarter of an hour become an hour-long journey. Reaching important amenities like supermarkets, educational facilities and care homes is hindered. The site often sees vandalism and loitering, with reports 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,” said one local, gesturing towards the rusted barricade. Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Hardship Within a local community centre, staff stress that support transcends addresses. “Where you live is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” said director a community leader. Regardless of ranking in the lowest 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe retains a fierce loyalty and sense of togetherness among its inhabitants. By contrast, the neighbouring area is classified among the least deprived 10% nationally. Echoes Elsewhere: An Estate in Kent This pattern is repeated nationally. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of neighbourhoods in England. It is closely bordered by spacious detached homes built in the early 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for employment and quality of surroundings. “They might have bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” said Phil Hockley, 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.” The financial gap is clear: an average family home costs about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide comparable properties fetch about £410,000. Locals speak of a tangible sense of being overlooked. “This part of the community gets ignored,” stated resident Susan. “Over here our amenities have gradually disappeared, and most of the issues we face here are related to poverty.” The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a picture of an ever more segregated England, where prosperity and deprivation are frequently awkwardly in close proximity.