The Growing ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: The Way Affluence and Deprivation Are Found Side by Side in Across England.
Within a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants occupy homes just a few metres from their wealthier counterparts in nearby Scartho village. One 1.8-metre-high barricade physically separates the two areas in the town of Grimsby, blocking off roads and walkways that previously connected them.
“It’s the divide between rich and poor,” remarked a resident, 37. “It has been there since I’ve known. I don’t think 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 official figures shows the extent of disparity often exists, sometimes across little more than a short distance of asphalt, a line of hedges or a barrier. Decades of austerity and underinvestment have led to a situation where a majority of councils now have a locality classified as one of the most deprived in the nation.
The geographical widening of poverty has coincided with a sharp increase in the quantity of locations where disadvantaged and well-off residents find themselves living side by side. In 2019, just 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods adjoined one of the least deprived. This number rose to 119 in the latest data.
A Barrier Which Divides More Than Land
At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the biggest in the country and starkly apparent. The wall is much more than a symbolic divide; it causes tangible problems for daily routines.
- School runs that ought to take a quarter of an hour become an hour-long detour.
- Reaching key amenities like supermarkets, schools and employment centres is made more difficult.
- The area often sees antisocial behaviour, with instances of rubbish being dumped over the wall and other problems.
“You try to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one local, gesturing towards the corroded barricade.
Local Bonds Amidst Hardship
At a local community centre, staff emphasise that need transcends addresses. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” said chief executive Tracey Good.
Regardless of ranking in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate boasts a strong sense and feeling of community among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, the neighbouring area ranks among the most prosperous 10% nationally.
Echoes Elsewhere: An Estate in Kent
This pattern is repeated across the country. The Stanhope estate in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in England. It is closely bordered by spacious houses built in the 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and living environment.
“They may possess larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” said a long-term resident, 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of 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 estate, while on the other side comparable homes fetch about £410,000.
Residents describe a tangible sense of being overlooked. “This part of the community is neglected,” stated holistic health worker Susan. “Over here our facilities have gradually disappeared, and most of the issues we face here are related to financial hardship.”
The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a portrait of an increasingly segregated England, where wealth and deprivation are often awkwardly close neighbours.