The Growing ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: How Affluence and Deprivation Are Found Side by Side in England.
In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, residents occupy homes only a few metres from their more affluent counterparts in nearby Scartho village. One six-foot-tall barricade physically separates the two areas in the town of Grimsby, blocking off paths and streets that previously linked them.
“This is the divide between rich and poor,” remarked Serenity Colley, 37. “It has been there since I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll take it down because I don’t think they’ll want to associate with us.”
A Stark National Picture
Analysis of government statistics reveals the extent of disparity often exists, sometimes over nothing more than a few metres of asphalt, a hedge row or a wall. Decades of budget cuts and lack of funding mean almost two-thirds of councils now contain a locality ranking as one of the poorest in the nation.
This spread of deprivation has led to a significant increase in the quantity of places where disadvantaged and affluent residents end up living side by side. In 2019, just 65 of the most deprived areas adjoined one of the least deprived. This number rose to 119 in the most recent data.
A Barrier Which Divides More Than Land
In Grimsby, the divide is the biggest in the UK and painfully obvious. The barrier is much more than a symbolic divide; it causes tangible problems for daily routines.
- School runs that should take 15-20 minutes turn into an sixty-minute journey.
- Reaching key services like grocery stores, educational facilities and care homes is made more difficult.
- The site can attract antisocial behaviour, with instances of rubbish being thrown over the wall and related problems.
“People strive to maintain a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one local, motioning at the rusted barricade.
Community Spirit Amidst Hardship
Within Centre4, 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.
Despite being placed in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe boasts a strong sense and feeling of togetherness among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, Scartho is classified among the most prosperous 10% overall.
A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford
This phenomenon is repeated nationally. The Stanhope estate in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in the country. It is immediately adjacent by spacious detached homes built in the early 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for employment and quality of surroundings.
“They may possess larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” commented a long-term resident, aged 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people in the new builds never even talk to each other.”
The financial gap is clear: an average family home sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while on the other side equivalent properties go for about £410,000.
Locals speak of a palpable feeling of neglect. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” stated holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our amenities have gradually disappeared, and most of the community problems here are to do with financial hardship.”
The rise in these ‘inequality borders’ presents a picture of an increasingly divided society, where prosperity and need are often uncomfortably in close proximity.