A Growing ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Prosperity and Deprivation Now Sit Side by Side in Across England.

Within Nunsthorpe, inhabitants occupy properties just a few metres from their wealthier counterparts in nearby Scartho village. A 1.8-metre-high barricade literally divides the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off roads and walkways that previously connected them.

“It’s the posh-poor divide,” said a resident, aged 37. “It’s been like this since I’ve known. I doubt they’ll bring it down because I don’t think they’ll want to associate with us.”

An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country

Analysis of government figures shows the extent of inequality often exists, sometimes over little more than a short distance of tarmac, a line of hedges or a wall. Years of austerity and lack of funding have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of councils now contain a locality classified as one of the poorest in the country.

This spread of poverty has coincided with a significant rise in the quantity of locations where deprived and well-off people find themselves living side by side. In 2019, only 65 of the poorest areas adjoined one of the least deprived. This number rose to 119 in the latest data.

A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Space

At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the most pronounced in the country and starkly obvious. The barrier is much more than a symbolic divide; it creates very real problems for daily routines.

• School runs that ought to take a quarter of an hour turn into an sixty-minute detour.
• Reaching important amenities like supermarkets, schools and care homes is hindered.
• The area can attract vandalism and loitering, with instances of litter being dumped over the wall and other issues.

“You try to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one resident, gesturing towards the rusted metal wall.

Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Hardship

At Centre4, workers emphasise that need does not recognise postcodes. “Where you live is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” said director a community leader.

Despite ranking in the lowest 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, the estate boasts a strong sense and feeling of community among its residents. By contrast, the neighbouring area is classified among the most prosperous 10% nationally.

Echoes Elsewhere: An Estate in Kent

This phenomenon is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in the country. It is closely bordered by large detached homes built in the early 2000s that are in the top 10% for employment and quality of surroundings.

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

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

Locals describe a tangible sense of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” stated holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our amenities have slowly been taken away, and the majority of the community problems here are related to poverty.”

The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a picture of an ever more segregated society, where prosperity and need are often awkwardly in close proximity.