🔗 Share this article The Rising ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: The Way Affluence and Deprivation Now Sit Side by Side in England. In Nunsthorpe, inhabitants live in properties just a few metres from their wealthier neighbours in the adjacent Scartho. A six-foot-tall barricade physically separates the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off roads and walkways that once connected them. “It’s the divide between rich and poor,” said Serenity Colley, 37. “It has been there since I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll bring it down because I suspect they’ll want to associate with us.” An Increasingly Common National Picture Analysis of government statistics shows the extent of disparity often exists, at times over little more than a few metres of asphalt, a hedge row or a wall. Years of budget cuts and underinvestment mean a majority of councils now have a neighbourhood classified as one of the poorest in the country. The spread of deprivation has coincided with a significant rise in the number of places where deprived and affluent people end up living side by side. Just a few years ago, just 65 of the most deprived areas bordered one of the least deprived. That figure rose to 119 in the latest data. A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Land At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the most pronounced in the country and painfully obvious. The barrier is much more than a metaphorical divide; it creates tangible problems for everyday life. The school commute that should take a quarter of an hour turn into an hour-long detour. Access to important services like supermarkets, educational facilities and care homes is made more difficult. The site can attract antisocial behaviour, with reports of litter being dumped over the wall and related problems. “You try to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one local, gesturing towards the corroded metal wall. Community Spirit Against a Backdrop of Hardship Within Centre4, workers emphasise that support transcends postcodes. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” explained director a community leader. Regardless of ranking in the lowest 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, the estate retains a strong sense and feeling of community among its residents. Meanwhile, Scartho is classified among the most prosperous 10% nationally. A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent This pattern is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope area in Kent, a mid-century housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in the country. It is immediately adjacent by spacious detached homes built in the early 2000s that sit in the top 10% for job prospects and quality of surroundings. “They might have bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” commented Phil Hockley, 63. “You’ll probably find many people over there don’t even speak to each other.” The financial gap is evident: an average family home costs about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while on the other side equivalent properties go for about £410,000. Locals speak of a tangible feeling of neglect. “This part of the community is neglected,” stated holistic health worker Susan. “In this area our amenities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the issues we face here are to do with poverty.” The increase in these ‘inequality borders’ paints a picture of an ever more segregated society, where wealth and deprivation are often uncomfortably close neighbours.
In Nunsthorpe, inhabitants live in properties just a few metres from their wealthier neighbours in the adjacent Scartho. A six-foot-tall barricade physically separates the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off roads and walkways that once connected them. “It’s the divide between rich and poor,” said Serenity Colley, 37. “It has been there since I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll bring it down because I suspect they’ll want to associate with us.” An Increasingly Common National Picture Analysis of government statistics shows the extent of disparity often exists, at times over little more than a few metres of asphalt, a hedge row or a wall. Years of budget cuts and underinvestment mean a majority of councils now have a neighbourhood classified as one of the poorest in the country. The spread of deprivation has coincided with a significant rise in the number of places where deprived and affluent people end up living side by side. Just a few years ago, just 65 of the most deprived areas bordered one of the least deprived. That figure rose to 119 in the latest data. A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Land At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the most pronounced in the country and painfully obvious. The barrier is much more than a metaphorical divide; it creates tangible problems for everyday life. The school commute that should take a quarter of an hour turn into an hour-long detour. Access to important services like supermarkets, educational facilities and care homes is made more difficult. The site can attract antisocial behaviour, with reports of litter being dumped over the wall and related problems. “You try to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one local, gesturing towards the corroded metal wall. Community Spirit Against a Backdrop of Hardship Within Centre4, workers emphasise that support transcends postcodes. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” explained director a community leader. Regardless of ranking in the lowest 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, the estate retains a strong sense and feeling of community among its residents. Meanwhile, Scartho is classified among the most prosperous 10% nationally. A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent This pattern is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope area in Kent, a mid-century housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in the country. It is immediately adjacent by spacious detached homes built in the early 2000s that sit in the top 10% for job prospects and quality of surroundings. “They might have bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” commented Phil Hockley, 63. “You’ll probably find many people over there don’t even speak to each other.” The financial gap is evident: an average family home costs about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while on the other side equivalent properties go for about £410,000. Locals speak of a tangible feeling of neglect. “This part of the community is neglected,” stated holistic health worker Susan. “In this area our amenities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the issues we face here are to do with poverty.” The increase in these ‘inequality borders’ paints a picture of an ever more segregated society, where wealth and deprivation are often uncomfortably close neighbours.