The Growing ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: How Prosperity and Hardship Are Found Cheek by Jowl in England.

In Nunsthorpe, inhabitants live in properties just several yards from their more affluent counterparts in nearby Scartho. One 1.8-metre-high wall physically divides the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off paths and streets that once linked them.

“It’s the posh-poor divide,” remarked Serenity Colley, aged 37. “It’s been like this since 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 official figures shows the extent of inequality can run, sometimes across little more than a short distance of tarmac, a hedge row or a barrier. Decades of austerity and lack of funding have led to a situation where a majority of local authorities now have a neighbourhood ranking as one of the poorest in the country.

The spread of deprivation has coincided with a significant rise in the quantity of places where deprived and well-off residents end up living side by side. Just a few years ago, only 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

In Grimsby, the divide is the biggest in the country and painfully obvious. The barrier is much more than a metaphorical divide; it creates very real problems for everyday life.

• The school commute that should take a quarter of an hour turn into an sixty-minute detour.
• Reaching important amenities like supermarkets, educational facilities and employment centres is hindered.
• The site can attract vandalism and loitering, with instances of rubbish being dumped over the wall and other problems.

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

Community Spirit Amidst Hardship

Within Centre4, workers stress that support transcends postcodes. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” explained chief executive Tracey Good.

Regardless of being placed in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe retains a strong sense and sense of community among its residents. Meanwhile, Scartho is classified among the most prosperous 10% overall.

A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford

This pattern is repeated nationally. The Stanhope area in Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in England. It is immediately adjacent by large detached homes built in the early 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and quality of surroundings.

“They might have bigger houses, but here there’s more community,” said a long-term resident, 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.”

The financial gap is evident: an average family home sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide equivalent properties go for about £410,000.

Residents describe a palpable sense of neglect. “This part of the community gets ignored,” said resident Susan. “Over here our amenities have slowly been taken away, and the majority of the community problems here are related to financial hardship.”

The increase in these ‘inequality borders’ paints a picture of an ever more divided society, where prosperity and need are frequently awkwardly in close proximity.