🔗 Share this article The Rising ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: How Affluence and Hardship Now Sit Side by Side in Across England. Within Nunsthorpe, inhabitants occupy properties only several yards from their more affluent neighbours in nearby Scartho. One 1.8-metre-high wall literally separates the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off roads and walkways that previously linked them. “This is the divide between rich and poor,” said a resident, aged 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 mix with us.” An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country Data from government statistics shows how deep inequality can run, at times across nothing more than a few metres of asphalt, a line of hedges or a barrier. Years of budget cuts and underinvestment have led to a situation where a majority of local authorities now contain a neighbourhood ranking as one of the most deprived in the nation. This geographical widening of deprivation has led to a significant increase in the number of locations where disadvantaged and well-off people end up as immediate neighbours. In 2019, just 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods adjoined one of the least deprived. This number rose to 119 in the most recent data. A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Space At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the most pronounced in the UK and painfully apparent. The wall is much more than a metaphorical division; it creates tangible difficulties for daily routines. School runs that should take a quarter of an hour become an hour-long journey. Access to important services like grocery stores, schools and employment centres is hindered. The area often sees antisocial behaviour, with reports of litter being thrown over the wall and related issues. “You try to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one local, gesturing towards the corroded metal wall. Community Spirit Amidst Hardship Within a local community centre, staff emphasise that need transcends addresses. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” said chief executive Tracey Good. Despite ranking in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe retains a strong sense and sense of togetherness among its residents. Meanwhile, Scartho is classified among the least deprived 10% nationally. Echoes Elsewhere: An Estate in Kent This pattern is repeated nationally. The Stanhope estate in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of neighbourhoods in the country. It is immediately adjacent by large detached homes built in the early 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and quality of surroundings. “They may possess bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” commented a long-term resident, aged 63. “You’ll probably find many people over there never even talk to each other.” The economic divide is evident: an average three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while on the other side equivalent homes go for about £410,000. Residents speak of a tangible sense of neglect. “This part of the community gets ignored,” said holistic health worker Susan. “In this area our facilities have gradually disappeared, and most of the community problems here are to do with poverty.” The rise in these ‘inequality borders’ presents a portrait of an increasingly segregated England, where wealth and need are frequently uncomfortably in close proximity.
Within Nunsthorpe, inhabitants occupy properties only several yards from their more affluent neighbours in nearby Scartho. One 1.8-metre-high wall literally separates the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off roads and walkways that previously linked them. “This is the divide between rich and poor,” said a resident, aged 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 mix with us.” An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country Data from government statistics shows how deep inequality can run, at times across nothing more than a few metres of asphalt, a line of hedges or a barrier. Years of budget cuts and underinvestment have led to a situation where a majority of local authorities now contain a neighbourhood ranking as one of the most deprived in the nation. This geographical widening of deprivation has led to a significant increase in the number of locations where disadvantaged and well-off people end up as immediate neighbours. In 2019, just 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods adjoined one of the least deprived. This number rose to 119 in the most recent data. A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Space At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the most pronounced in the UK and painfully apparent. The wall is much more than a metaphorical division; it creates tangible difficulties for daily routines. School runs that should take a quarter of an hour become an hour-long journey. Access to important services like grocery stores, schools and employment centres is hindered. The area often sees antisocial behaviour, with reports of litter being thrown over the wall and related issues. “You try to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one local, gesturing towards the corroded metal wall. Community Spirit Amidst Hardship Within a local community centre, staff emphasise that need transcends addresses. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” said chief executive Tracey Good. Despite ranking in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe retains a strong sense and sense of togetherness among its residents. Meanwhile, Scartho is classified among the least deprived 10% nationally. Echoes Elsewhere: An Estate in Kent This pattern is repeated nationally. The Stanhope estate in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of neighbourhoods in the country. It is immediately adjacent by large detached homes built in the early 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and quality of surroundings. “They may possess bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” commented a long-term resident, aged 63. “You’ll probably find many people over there never even talk to each other.” The economic divide is evident: an average three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while on the other side equivalent homes go for about £410,000. Residents speak of a tangible sense of neglect. “This part of the community gets ignored,” said holistic health worker Susan. “In this area our facilities have gradually disappeared, and most of the community problems here are to do with poverty.” The rise in these ‘inequality borders’ presents a portrait of an increasingly segregated England, where wealth and need are frequently uncomfortably in close proximity.