A Rising ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: How Affluence and Deprivation Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in Across England.

In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, residents occupy homes only a few metres from their wealthier neighbours in the adjacent Scartho village. A six-foot-tall barricade literally divides the two areas in the town of Grimsby, sealing off paths and streets that once connected them.

“It’s the posh-poor divide,” said Serenity Colley, 37. “It’s been like this for as long as 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

Data from official figures shows how deep inequality often exists, at times over nothing more than a few metres of tarmac, a hedge row or a barrier. Decades of budget cuts and lack of funding mean almost two-thirds of local authorities now contain a locality classified as one of the poorest in the country.

This spread of poverty has led to a significant increase in the quantity of locations where deprived and affluent people end up living side by side. In 2019, just 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods adjoined one of the least deprived. That figure rose to 119 in the most recent data.

A Barrier Which Divides More Than Space

At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the most pronounced in the country and painfully apparent. The barrier transcends being just a symbolic divide; it causes tangible problems for daily routines.

• The school commute that ought to take a quarter of an hour become an hour-long journey.
• Reaching key amenities like supermarkets, schools and employment centres is hindered.
• The area can attract antisocial behaviour, with reports of rubbish being thrown over the wall and related issues.

“You try to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one local, gesturing towards the rusted metal wall.

Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Hardship

Within Centre4, staff emphasise that need does not recognise addresses. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” said director a community leader.

Despite being placed in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate boasts a strong sense and sense of togetherness among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, Scartho ranks among the most prosperous 10% overall.

A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford

This pattern is repeated nationally. The Stanhope area in Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in England. It is closely bordered by spacious detached homes built in the 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for employment and living environment.

“They may possess larger properties, but here there’s more community,” said Phil Hockley, aged 63. “You’ll probably find many people in the new builds never even talk to each other.”

The economic divide is clear: an average family home costs about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide equivalent properties go for about £410,000.

Locals describe a tangible feeling of being overlooked. “This part of the community is neglected,” stated holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our amenities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the community problems here are to do with financial hardship.”

The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a picture of an ever more divided society, where prosperity and deprivation are frequently awkwardly in close proximity.