The Growing ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: How Affluence and Deprivation Now Sit Side by Side in Across England.
Within Nunsthorpe, residents live in homes just several yards from their wealthier neighbours in the adjacent Scartho. A six-foot-tall wall physically divides the two areas in the town of Grimsby, sealing off roads and walkways that once connected them.
“This is the divide between rich and poor,” said a resident, aged 37. “It’s been like this since I’ve known. I doubt they’ll take it down because I suspect they’ll want to associate with us.”
An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country
Data from government figures shows how deep inequality can run, sometimes over little more than a short distance of tarmac, a hedge row or a wall. Years of budget cuts and lack of funding have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of councils now contain a locality classified as one of the most deprived in the country.
The spread of poverty has led to a sharp rise in the quantity of places where disadvantaged and well-off residents end up living side by side. In 2019, just 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods adjoined one of the wealthiest. That figure rose to 119 in the most recent data.
A Wall That Does More Than Separate Space
In Grimsby, the gap is the most pronounced in the UK and painfully apparent. The wall transcends being just a symbolic division; it causes very real problems for everyday life.
- School runs that ought to take a quarter of an hour become an hour-long detour.
- Reaching important amenities like supermarkets, schools and employment centres is made more difficult.
- The site can attract antisocial behaviour, with instances of rubbish being thrown over the wall and related problems.
“People strive to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one resident, motioning at the corroded barricade.
Community Spirit Against a Backdrop of Challenges
At Centre4, staff stress that need transcends addresses. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” explained director Tracey Good.
Despite ranking in the lowest 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe retains a fierce loyalty and feeling of togetherness among its inhabitants. By contrast, Scartho ranks among the most prosperous 10% overall.
Echoes Elsewhere: Stanhope in Ashford
This phenomenon is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of neighbourhoods in England. It is closely bordered by large detached homes built in the early 2000s that sit in the top 10% for employment and quality of surroundings.
“They might have larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” said a long-term resident, 63. “It’s likely many people over there don’t even speak to each other.”
The financial gap is evident: an average three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide equivalent homes go for about £410,000.
Residents describe a tangible feeling of neglect. “This part of the community gets ignored,” stated resident Susan. “Over here our amenities have slowly been taken away, and the majority of the community problems here are related to poverty.”
The increase in these ‘inequality borders’ presents a picture of an increasingly segregated society, where prosperity and need are often awkwardly close neighbours.