🔗 Share this article The Growing ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: The Way Prosperity and Deprivation Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in England. Within a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants occupy homes just several yards from their wealthier counterparts in nearby Scartho. A 1.8-metre-high barricade literally divides the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off paths and streets that once linked them. “It’s the posh-poor divide,” said Serenity Colley, aged 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 associate with us.” A Stark Pattern Across the Country Data from government figures reveals the extent of inequality can run, sometimes over little more than a short distance of asphalt, a hedge row or a barrier. Years of austerity 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 led to a sharp rise in the number of locations where deprived and affluent people end up living side by side. Just a few years ago, just 65 of the poorest areas adjoined one of the least deprived. That figure rose to 119 in the most recent data. A Wall That Divides More Than Space In Grimsby, the gap is the biggest in the country and painfully obvious. The barrier is much more than a symbolic divide; it creates very real difficulties for everyday life. The school commute that should take a quarter of an hour become an hour-long journey. Access to important services like supermarkets, schools and care homes is made more difficult. The site often sees antisocial behaviour, with instances of litter being thrown over the wall and other issues. “People strive to have a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one local, motioning at the corroded barricade. Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Hardship At Centre4, staff emphasise that need transcends postcodes. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” said chief executive a community leader. Regardless of ranking in the lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate retains a fierce loyalty and sense of togetherness among its inhabitants. By contrast, the neighbouring area is classified among the most prosperous 10% overall. Echoes Elsewhere: Stanhope in Ashford This phenomenon is repeated across the country. The Stanhope estate in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in England. It is immediately adjacent by spacious houses built in the 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for employment and living environment. “They may possess larger properties, but here there’s more community,” commented Phil Hockley, aged 63. “It’s likely many people in the new builds never even talk to each other.” The financial divide is clear: an typical three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide equivalent properties fetch about £410,000. Residents speak of a tangible feeling of neglect. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” stated holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our facilities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the issues we face here are to do with poverty.” The rise in these ‘inequality borders’ presents a picture of an ever more segregated England, where prosperity and deprivation are often uncomfortably in close proximity.
Within a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants occupy homes just several yards from their wealthier counterparts in nearby Scartho. A 1.8-metre-high barricade literally divides the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off paths and streets that once linked them. “It’s the posh-poor divide,” said Serenity Colley, aged 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 associate with us.” A Stark Pattern Across the Country Data from government figures reveals the extent of inequality can run, sometimes over little more than a short distance of asphalt, a hedge row or a barrier. Years of austerity 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 led to a sharp rise in the number of locations where deprived and affluent people end up living side by side. Just a few years ago, just 65 of the poorest areas adjoined one of the least deprived. That figure rose to 119 in the most recent data. A Wall That Divides More Than Space In Grimsby, the gap is the biggest in the country and painfully obvious. The barrier is much more than a symbolic divide; it creates very real difficulties for everyday life. The school commute that should take a quarter of an hour become an hour-long journey. Access to important services like supermarkets, schools and care homes is made more difficult. The site often sees antisocial behaviour, with instances of litter being thrown over the wall and other issues. “People strive to have a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one local, motioning at the corroded barricade. Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Hardship At Centre4, staff emphasise that need transcends postcodes. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” said chief executive a community leader. Regardless of ranking in the lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate retains a fierce loyalty and sense of togetherness among its inhabitants. By contrast, the neighbouring area is classified among the most prosperous 10% overall. Echoes Elsewhere: Stanhope in Ashford This phenomenon is repeated across the country. The Stanhope estate in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in England. It is immediately adjacent by spacious houses built in the 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for employment and living environment. “They may possess larger properties, but here there’s more community,” commented Phil Hockley, aged 63. “It’s likely many people in the new builds never even talk to each other.” The financial divide is clear: an typical three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide equivalent properties fetch about £410,000. Residents speak of a tangible feeling of neglect. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” stated holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our facilities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the issues we face here are to do with poverty.” The rise in these ‘inequality borders’ presents a picture of an ever more segregated England, where prosperity and deprivation are often uncomfortably in close proximity.