A Rising ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Prosperity and Hardship Are Found Cheek by Jowl in England.
In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants live in properties only several yards from their wealthier counterparts in the adjacent Scartho village. One six-foot-tall wall literally divides the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off roads and walkways that previously linked them.
“This is the posh-poor divide,” said a resident, aged 37. “It has been there for as long as I’ve known. I doubt they’ll take it down because I don’t think they’ll want to associate with us.”
An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country
Analysis of official statistics reveals how deep inequality can run, at times over nothing more than a short distance of tarmac, a hedge row or a barrier. Years of austerity and lack of funding have led to a situation where a majority of councils now contain a locality classified as one of the most deprived in the country.
This geographical widening of poverty has coincided with a significant rise in the number of locations where deprived and affluent residents find themselves as immediate neighbours. In 2019, only 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods adjoined one of the least deprived. This number rose to 119 in the latest data.
A Barrier Which Divides More Than Land
In Grimsby, the divide is the most pronounced in the UK and starkly apparent. The barrier is much more than a symbolic division; it causes tangible difficulties for everyday life.
- School runs that should take a quarter of an hour turn into an sixty-minute journey.
- Access to important services like supermarkets, schools and care homes is hindered.
- The area often sees antisocial behaviour, with instances of rubbish being dumped over the wall and other issues.
“People strive to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one local, gesturing towards the rusted barricade.
Local Bonds Amidst Hardship
Within Centre4, workers emphasise that need transcends addresses. “Where you live is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” said chief executive a community leader.
Regardless of ranking in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe retains a fierce loyalty and sense of togetherness among its inhabitants. By contrast, the neighbouring area ranks among the most prosperous 10% overall.
Echoes Elsewhere: Stanhope in Ashford
This phenomenon is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope area in Kent, a mid-century housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in England. It is immediately adjacent by spacious houses built in the early 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for employment and quality of surroundings.
“They might have larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” said Phil Hockley, aged 63. “It’s likely many people in the new builds never even talk to each other.”
The economic gap is evident: an typical family home costs about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide comparable homes fetch about £410,000.
Locals describe a tangible feeling of neglect. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” stated holistic health worker Susan. “Over here our amenities have slowly been taken away, and most of the issues we face here are related to financial hardship.”
The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a portrait of an increasingly divided England, where wealth and need are frequently awkwardly close neighbours.
