A Rising ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: How Affluence and Deprivation Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in England.

In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, residents live in properties just several yards from their wealthier neighbours in nearby Scartho. One 1.8-metre-high wall literally separates the two areas in the town of Grimsby, sealing off paths and streets that previously linked them.

“It’s the posh-poor divide,” said Serenity Colley, 37. “It’s been like this for as long as I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll bring it down because I suspect they’ll want to mix with us.”

A Stark Pattern Across the Country

Analysis of government figures reveals the extent of inequality often exists, at times across nothing more than a short distance of tarmac, a hedge row or a barrier. Years of austerity and lack of funding have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of local authorities now have a neighbourhood classified as one of the most deprived in the country.

The spread of deprivation has led to a significant increase in the number of places where deprived and well-off residents find themselves as immediate neighbours. In 2019, just 65 of the most deprived areas bordered one of the wealthiest. This number increased to 119 in the most recent data.

A Barrier Which Divides More Than Land

At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the biggest in the UK and starkly apparent. The barrier transcends being just a metaphorical division; it causes very real problems for daily routines.

• The school commute that should take 15-20 minutes turn into an hour-long detour.
• Access to key amenities like grocery stores, educational facilities and care homes is hindered.
• The site often sees vandalism and loitering, with instances of rubbish being thrown over the wall and other problems.

“People strive to have a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one local, gesturing towards the rusted barricade.

Local Bonds Amidst Hardship

Within Centre4, workers stress that support does not recognise addresses. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” said chief executive Tracey Good.

Regardless of being placed in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate boasts a strong sense and feeling of togetherness among its inhabitants. By contrast, Scartho ranks among the most prosperous 10% nationally.

Echoes Elsewhere: An Estate in Kent

This pattern is repeated across the country. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a mid-century housing development, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in England. It is immediately adjacent by large detached homes built in the 2000s that are in the top 10% for job prospects and quality of surroundings.

“They might have bigger houses, but here there’s more community,” commented Phil Hockley, aged 63. “It’s likely a lot of people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.”

The financial gap is clear: an typical three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide equivalent homes fetch about £410,000.

Residents speak of a tangible feeling of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” stated resident Susan. “In this area our amenities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the community problems here are related to poverty.”

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