A Growing ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: The Way Prosperity and Deprivation Are Found Side by Side in England.
Within Nunsthorpe, inhabitants live in homes just a few metres from their wealthier neighbours in the adjacent Scartho. One 1.8-metre-high barricade literally divides the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off roads and walkways that once linked them.
“This is the divide between rich and poor,” said Serenity Colley, 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 mix with us.”
An Increasingly Common National Picture
Data from government figures 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 austerity and underinvestment mean a majority of councils now contain a neighbourhood ranking as one of the poorest in the country.
The geographical widening of poverty has led to a sharp increase in the number of places where deprived and affluent people end up living side by side. In 2019, only 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods bordered one of the wealthiest. This number rose to 119 in the most recent data.
A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Land
In Grimsby, the gap is the biggest in the country and painfully obvious. The barrier is much more than a metaphorical division; it causes tangible problems for everyday life.
- School runs that ought to take a quarter of an hour become an sixty-minute journey.
- Access to key amenities like grocery stores, schools and employment centres is hindered.
- The area can attract antisocial behaviour, with reports of rubbish being dumped over the wall and related issues.
“People strive to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one local, motioning at the rusted barricade.
Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Hardship
At a local community centre, staff emphasise that support does not recognise addresses. “Where you live is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” said director a community leader.
Regardless of ranking in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate retains a strong sense and sense of community among its residents. Meanwhile, the neighbouring area is classified among the least deprived 10% overall.
A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford
This phenomenon is repeated across the country. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in England. It is closely bordered by large houses built in the 2000s that sit in the top 10% for job prospects and quality of surroundings.
“They might have larger properties, but here there’s more community,” said a long-term resident, aged 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.”
The economic gap is evident: an average family home sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while on the other side equivalent homes fetch about £410,000.
Locals describe a tangible feeling of neglect. “This part of the community gets ignored,” said holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our amenities have slowly been taken away, and most of the community problems here are related to financial hardship.”
The rise in these ‘inequality borders’ paints a portrait of an ever more segregated society, where prosperity and need are frequently uncomfortably in close proximity.