🔗 Share this article A Rising ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: The Way Affluence and Deprivation Are Found Side by Side in England. In Nunsthorpe, inhabitants live in homes only a few metres from their wealthier counterparts in the adjacent Scartho village. A 1.8-metre-high barricade physically separates the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off roads and walkways that once linked them. “This is the posh-poor divide,” said Serenity Colley, 37. “It’s been like this for as long as I’ve known. I doubt they’ll bring it down because I don’t think they’ll want to mix with us.” An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country Data from official statistics shows how deep inequality can run, at times over nothing more than a short distance of tarmac, a line of hedges or a wall. Years of austerity and lack of funding mean almost two-thirds of local authorities now contain a locality ranking as one of the poorest in the nation. This geographical widening of poverty has coincided with a sharp increase in the number of places where disadvantaged and well-off people find themselves living side by side. In 2019, just 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods adjoined one of the least deprived. That figure increased to 119 in the latest data. A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Land In Grimsby, the gap is the biggest in the UK and painfully obvious. The wall transcends being just a symbolic divide; it causes very real difficulties for everyday life. School runs that should take 15-20 minutes become an sixty-minute detour. Access to key services like supermarkets, schools and employment centres is hindered. The area often sees vandalism and loitering, with instances of litter being thrown over the wall and other issues. “People strive to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one resident, gesturing towards the rusted barricade. Community Spirit Amidst Hardship At Centre4, staff stress that need transcends postcodes. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” said director a community leader. Regardless of being placed in the lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate boasts a strong sense and feeling of togetherness among its inhabitants. By contrast, Scartho ranks among the most prosperous 10% nationally. A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent This phenomenon is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a mid-century housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of neighbourhoods in the country. It is closely bordered by large detached homes built in the early 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for employment and quality of surroundings. “They might have larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” said a long-term resident, 63. “It’s likely many people in the new builds never even talk to each other.” The economic divide is clear: an typical three-bedroom house costs about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide equivalent properties go for about £410,000. Residents speak of a tangible sense of being overlooked. “This part of the community gets ignored,” said holistic health worker Susan. “In this area our amenities have gradually disappeared, and most of the issues we face here are related to financial hardship.” The rise in these ‘inequality borders’ paints a portrait of an ever more segregated society, where prosperity and need are frequently uncomfortably in close proximity.
In Nunsthorpe, inhabitants live in homes only a few metres from their wealthier counterparts in the adjacent Scartho village. A 1.8-metre-high barricade physically separates the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off roads and walkways that once linked them. “This is the posh-poor divide,” said Serenity Colley, 37. “It’s been like this for as long as I’ve known. I doubt they’ll bring it down because I don’t think they’ll want to mix with us.” An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country Data from official statistics shows how deep inequality can run, at times over nothing more than a short distance of tarmac, a line of hedges or a wall. Years of austerity and lack of funding mean almost two-thirds of local authorities now contain a locality ranking as one of the poorest in the nation. This geographical widening of poverty has coincided with a sharp increase in the number of places where disadvantaged and well-off people find themselves living side by side. In 2019, just 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods adjoined one of the least deprived. That figure increased to 119 in the latest data. A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Land In Grimsby, the gap is the biggest in the UK and painfully obvious. The wall transcends being just a symbolic divide; it causes very real difficulties for everyday life. School runs that should take 15-20 minutes become an sixty-minute detour. Access to key services like supermarkets, schools and employment centres is hindered. The area often sees vandalism and loitering, with instances of litter being thrown over the wall and other issues. “People strive to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one resident, gesturing towards the rusted barricade. Community Spirit Amidst Hardship At Centre4, staff stress that need transcends postcodes. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” said director a community leader. Regardless of being placed in the lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate boasts a strong sense and feeling of togetherness among its inhabitants. By contrast, Scartho ranks among the most prosperous 10% nationally. A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent This phenomenon is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a mid-century housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of neighbourhoods in the country. It is closely bordered by large detached homes built in the early 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for employment and quality of surroundings. “They might have larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” said a long-term resident, 63. “It’s likely many people in the new builds never even talk to each other.” The economic divide is clear: an typical three-bedroom house costs about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide equivalent properties go for about £410,000. Residents speak of a tangible sense of being overlooked. “This part of the community gets ignored,” said holistic health worker Susan. “In this area our amenities have gradually disappeared, and most of the issues we face here are related to financial hardship.” The rise in these ‘inequality borders’ paints a portrait of an ever more segregated society, where prosperity and need are frequently uncomfortably in close proximity.