The Growing ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Prosperity and Deprivation Are Found Side by Side in England.

In Nunsthorpe, inhabitants occupy homes only a few metres from their more affluent counterparts in nearby Scartho. One six-foot-tall wall physically divides the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off roads and walkways that once linked them.

“This is the posh-poor divide,” remarked a resident, 37. “It’s been like this for as long as I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll take it down because I suspect they’ll want to mix with us.”

An Increasingly Common National Picture

Analysis of government figures reveals the extent of disparity can run, at times across nothing more than a few metres of tarmac, a line of hedges or a wall. Decades of austerity and lack of funding mean almost two-thirds of councils now have a locality ranking as one of the poorest in the country.

The spread of poverty has led to a significant rise in the quantity of locations where disadvantaged and affluent people end up living side by side. Just a few years ago, only 65 of the most deprived areas bordered one of the least deprived. That figure increased to 119 in the latest data.

A Barrier Which Divides More Than Land

In Grimsby, the divide is the most pronounced in the country and painfully apparent. The wall transcends being just a metaphorical division; it creates tangible difficulties for daily routines.

• School runs that should take 15-20 minutes become an hour-long detour.
• Reaching important amenities like grocery stores, schools and employment centres is made more difficult.
• The site can attract antisocial behaviour, with reports of rubbish being thrown over the wall and other issues.

“You try to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one resident, motioning at the rusted metal wall.

Local Bonds Amidst Hardship

Within Centre4, workers emphasise that support does not recognise addresses. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” explained director a community leader.

Despite ranking in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe retains a fierce loyalty and sense of togetherness among its residents. By contrast, Scartho is classified among the most prosperous 10% nationally.

A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent

This phenomenon is repeated across the country. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in the country. It is immediately adjacent by large detached homes built in the 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and quality of surroundings.

“They may possess bigger houses, but here there’s more community,” commented a long-term resident, aged 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people over there don’t even speak to each other.”

The economic gap is evident: an average three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while on the other side comparable properties go for about £410,000.

Locals describe a palpable feeling of neglect. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” stated holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our amenities have slowly been taken away, and the majority of the issues we face here are related to poverty.”

The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a portrait of an ever more divided society, where wealth and deprivation are frequently awkwardly close neighbours.