A Growing ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: How Affluence and Hardship Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in England.

Within a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants occupy properties only a few metres from their wealthier counterparts in nearby Scartho. One six-foot-tall barricade physically divides the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off paths and streets that once linked them.

“This is the divide between rich and poor,” remarked Serenity Colley, aged 37. “It’s been like this since I’ve known. I doubt they’ll bring it down because I don’t think they’ll want to associate with us.”

A Stark National Picture

Analysis of government statistics reveals the extent of inequality often exists, sometimes across nothing more than a short distance of tarmac, a hedge row or a barrier. Decades of budget cuts and underinvestment have led to a situation where a majority of local authorities now have a locality ranking as one of the poorest in the country.

This spread of deprivation has led to a sharp rise in the number of locations where disadvantaged and well-off residents find themselves living side by side. Just a few years ago, just 65 of the most deprived areas bordered one of the wealthiest. This number increased 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 starkly obvious. The barrier transcends being just a symbolic division; it causes very real difficulties for everyday life.

• The school commute that should take a quarter of an hour become an hour-long detour.
• Access to important amenities like supermarkets, schools and employment centres is made more difficult.
• The area can attract antisocial behaviour, with instances of rubbish being thrown over the wall and other problems.

“You try to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one resident, motioning at the rusted barricade.

Community Spirit Against a Backdrop of Challenges

Within Centre4, workers emphasise that need transcends postcodes. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” explained director Tracey Good.

Regardless of ranking in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe retains a strong sense and feeling of community among its residents. By contrast, the neighbouring area is classified among the least deprived 10% overall.

A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent

This pattern is repeated across the country. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in the country. It is immediately adjacent by large houses built in the 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for employment and living environment.

“They might have larger properties, but here there’s more community,” commented Phil Hockley, aged 63. “You’ll probably find many people over there never even talk to each other.”

The financial divide is clear: an typical three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide equivalent homes go for about £410,000.

Locals describe a tangible feeling of neglect. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” said holistic health worker Susan. “Over here our facilities have slowly been taken away, and the majority of the issues we face here are related to poverty.”

The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a portrait of an ever more divided England, where wealth and need are often awkwardly in close proximity.