A Rising ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: The Way Prosperity and Deprivation Now Sit Side by Side in England.

In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants live in homes only several yards from their more affluent neighbours in nearby Scartho. A six-foot-tall barricade literally divides the two areas in the town of Grimsby, sealing off paths and streets that previously linked them.

“This is the divide between rich and poor,” said a resident, 37. “It has been there for as long as I’ve known. I doubt they’ll bring it down because I don’t think they’ll want to associate with us.”

A Stark Pattern Across the Country

Analysis of government statistics shows the extent of inequality can run, sometimes over nothing more than a few metres of tarmac, a line of hedges or a barrier. Decades of austerity and underinvestment have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of councils now contain a locality classified as one of the poorest in the nation.

This spread of poverty has led to a sharp rise in the number of places where deprived and affluent residents find themselves living side by side. In 2019, just 65 of the poorest areas bordered one of the least deprived. This number increased to 119 in the latest data.

A Barrier Which Divides More Than Space

In Grimsby, the gap is the most pronounced in the UK and painfully apparent. The wall transcends being just a metaphorical divide; it causes tangible problems for daily routines.

• School runs that should take a quarter of an hour become an sixty-minute journey.
• Reaching important amenities like supermarkets, educational facilities and care homes is made more difficult.
• The site often sees antisocial behaviour, with instances of rubbish being thrown over the wall and other problems.

“You try to maintain a nice house and nice garden, and then you reside facing that,” noted one local, gesturing towards the corroded metal wall.

Community Spirit Against a Backdrop of Hardship

At a local community centre, staff stress that support transcends addresses. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” explained chief executive Tracey Good.

Regardless of ranking in the lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe boasts a fierce loyalty 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 mirrored across the country. 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 spacious houses built in the 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for employment and living environment.

“They might have bigger houses, but here there’s more community,” said Phil Hockley, 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people over there never even talk to each other.”

The economic divide is clear: an average family home sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while on the other side equivalent homes fetch about £410,000.

Locals speak of a palpable sense of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” said holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our facilities have gradually disappeared, and most of the community problems here are related to poverty.”

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