The Rising ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: How Prosperity and Deprivation Are Found Cheek by Jowl in Across England.
In Nunsthorpe, inhabitants occupy properties just several yards from their more affluent neighbours in the adjacent Scartho. A 1.8-metre-high wall literally divides the two areas in the town of Grimsby, sealing off roads and walkways that previously connected them.
“This is the divide between rich and poor,” said a resident, aged 37. “It has been there for as long as I’ve known. I doubt they’ll bring it down because I don’t think they’ll want to mix with us.”
An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country
Data from government figures reveals the extent of inequality can run, sometimes across little more than a few metres of asphalt, a line of hedges or a wall. Decades of austerity and underinvestment mean almost two-thirds of councils now contain a neighbourhood ranking as one of the poorest in the nation.
The geographical widening of deprivation has coincided with a sharp increase in the number of places where disadvantaged and well-off residents find themselves as immediate neighbours. In 2019, only 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods bordered one of the least deprived. That figure rose to 119 in the most recent data.
A Barrier Which Divides More Than Land
In Grimsby, the gap is the biggest in the country and starkly obvious. The wall is much more than a metaphorical division; it causes very real difficulties for everyday life.
- The school commute that should take 15-20 minutes become an sixty-minute detour.
- Access to key amenities like grocery stores, educational facilities and care homes is made more difficult.
- The area can attract vandalism and loitering, with reports of litter being thrown over the wall and other problems.
“People strive to have a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one local, gesturing towards the rusted barricade.
Local Bonds Amidst Hardship
At a local community centre, workers emphasise that need transcends addresses. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” explained director a community leader.
Regardless of ranking in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe 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 overspill estate, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in England. It is closely bordered by spacious houses built in the 2000s that sit in the top 10% for job prospects and quality of surroundings.
“They may possess larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” said Phil Hockley, 63. “You’ll probably find many people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.”
The economic divide is clear: an average family home sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while on the other side comparable homes fetch about £410,000.
Locals describe a palpable sense of neglect. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” said holistic health worker Susan. “Over here our facilities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the community problems here are related to poverty.”
The rise in these ‘inequality borders’ paints a portrait of an increasingly segregated society, where prosperity and deprivation are frequently awkwardly in close proximity.
