🔗 Share this article A Rising ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: How Affluence and Deprivation Now Sit Side by Side in Across England. Within Nunsthorpe, residents occupy properties just several yards from their more affluent counterparts in nearby Scartho village. One 1.8-metre-high wall physically separates the two areas in the town of Grimsby, blocking off roads and walkways that previously linked them. “This is the divide between rich and poor,” remarked a resident, 37. “It has been there for as long as I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll bring it down because I don’t think they’ll want to associate with us.” A Stark National Picture Data from government statistics shows how deep disparity often exists, at times over little more than a short distance of tarmac, a line of hedges or a wall. Decades of austerity and underinvestment mean a majority of councils now have a locality ranking as one of the poorest in the nation. This geographical widening of poverty has coincided with a significant increase in the number of locations where deprived and affluent residents end up as immediate neighbours. Just a few years ago, just 65 of the most deprived areas adjoined one of the least deprived. That figure rose to 119 in the most recent data. A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Space In Grimsby, the gap is the biggest in the UK and starkly apparent. The barrier transcends being just a metaphorical divide; it creates very real problems for daily routines. School runs that should take a quarter of an hour turn into an hour-long journey. Access to key services like grocery stores, schools and care homes is made more difficult. The area often sees antisocial behaviour, with reports of rubbish being dumped over the wall and other issues. “You try to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” noted one local, motioning at the rusted barricade. Community Spirit Against a Backdrop of Hardship Within Centre4, workers emphasise that need transcends postcodes. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” explained chief executive Tracey Good. Regardless of ranking in the lowest 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, the estate boasts a strong sense and feeling of community among its inhabitants. By contrast, the neighbouring area ranks among the most prosperous 10% overall. A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford This pattern is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope estate in Ashford, Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of neighbourhoods in England. It is immediately adjacent by spacious houses built in the early 2000s that sit in the top 10% for job prospects and quality of surroundings. “They might have larger properties, but here there’s more community,” said a long-term resident, aged 63. “It’s likely many people in the new builds never even talk to each other.” The economic divide is evident: an average family home costs about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while on the other side equivalent properties fetch about £410,000. Locals speak of a tangible sense of neglect. “This part of the community is neglected,” said holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our amenities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the issues we face here are related to poverty.” The increase in these ‘inequality borders’ presents a picture of an ever more divided England, where wealth and deprivation are often awkwardly close neighbours.
Within Nunsthorpe, residents occupy properties just several yards from their more affluent counterparts in nearby Scartho village. One 1.8-metre-high wall physically separates the two areas in the town of Grimsby, blocking off roads and walkways that previously linked them. “This is the divide between rich and poor,” remarked a resident, 37. “It has been there for as long as I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll bring it down because I don’t think they’ll want to associate with us.” A Stark National Picture Data from government statistics shows how deep disparity often exists, at times over little more than a short distance of tarmac, a line of hedges or a wall. Decades of austerity and underinvestment mean a majority of councils now have a locality ranking as one of the poorest in the nation. This geographical widening of poverty has coincided with a significant increase in the number of locations where deprived and affluent residents end up as immediate neighbours. Just a few years ago, just 65 of the most deprived areas adjoined one of the least deprived. That figure rose to 119 in the most recent data. A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Space In Grimsby, the gap is the biggest in the UK and starkly apparent. The barrier transcends being just a metaphorical divide; it creates very real problems for daily routines. School runs that should take a quarter of an hour turn into an hour-long journey. Access to key services like grocery stores, schools and care homes is made more difficult. The area often sees antisocial behaviour, with reports of rubbish being dumped over the wall and other issues. “You try to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” noted one local, motioning at the rusted barricade. Community Spirit Against a Backdrop of Hardship Within Centre4, workers emphasise that need transcends postcodes. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” explained chief executive Tracey Good. Regardless of ranking in the lowest 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, the estate boasts a strong sense and feeling of community among its inhabitants. By contrast, the neighbouring area ranks among the most prosperous 10% overall. A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford This pattern is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope estate in Ashford, Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of neighbourhoods in England. It is immediately adjacent by spacious houses built in the early 2000s that sit in the top 10% for job prospects and quality of surroundings. “They might have larger properties, but here there’s more community,” said a long-term resident, aged 63. “It’s likely many people in the new builds never even talk to each other.” The economic divide is evident: an average family home costs about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while on the other side equivalent properties fetch about £410,000. Locals speak of a tangible sense of neglect. “This part of the community is neglected,” said holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our amenities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the issues we face here are related to poverty.” The increase in these ‘inequality borders’ presents a picture of an ever more divided England, where wealth and deprivation are often awkwardly close neighbours.