The Rising ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: The Way Prosperity and Deprivation Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in Across England.
Within a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, residents occupy homes just a few metres from their wealthier neighbours in nearby Scartho village. A six-foot-tall barricade literally divides the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off roads and walkways that once connected them.
“It’s the divide between rich and poor,” remarked 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 mix with us.”
A Stark National Picture
Data from official statistics reveals the extent of inequality can run, at times across little more than a short distance of tarmac, a hedge row or a wall. Decades of budget cuts and underinvestment mean a majority of councils now have a locality ranking as one of the poorest in the country.
This geographical widening of deprivation has led to a sharp increase in the quantity of places where deprived and well-off people find themselves as immediate neighbours. In 2019, only 65 of the poorest areas bordered one of the least deprived. This number rose to 119 in the latest data.
A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Space
In Grimsby, the divide is the most pronounced in the UK and painfully obvious. The barrier is much more than a metaphorical division; it causes tangible difficulties for daily routines.
- The school commute that ought to take a quarter of an hour turn into an hour-long detour.
- Access to key amenities like grocery stores, schools and employment centres is hindered.
- The site can attract antisocial behaviour, with instances of rubbish being dumped over the wall and other problems.
“You try to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” noted one local, gesturing towards the rusted barricade.
Community Spirit Amidst Challenges
Within Centre4, staff emphasise that need transcends postcodes. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” explained director a community leader.
Despite ranking in the lowest 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe boasts a fierce loyalty and feeling of community among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, Scartho ranks among the least deprived 10% nationally.
Echoes Elsewhere: An Estate in Kent
This pattern is repeated across the country. The Stanhope area in Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in the country. It is closely bordered by large houses built in the 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for employment and quality of surroundings.
“They may possess larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” said a long-term resident, 63. “You’ll probably find many people in the new builds never even talk to each other.”
The financial divide is evident: an typical family home costs about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide equivalent properties go for about £410,000.
Locals speak of a tangible feeling of neglect. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” said resident Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our facilities have gradually disappeared, and most of the community problems here are to do with poverty.”
The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a portrait of an ever more segregated society, where prosperity and deprivation are frequently awkwardly close neighbours.