A Rising ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Prosperity and Deprivation Are Found Cheek by Jowl in England.
Within a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, residents occupy properties just a few metres from their wealthier counterparts in nearby Scartho village. One 1.8-metre-high wall literally separates the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off roads and walkways that previously linked them.
“This is the posh-poor divide,” said a resident, aged 37. “It has been there for as long as I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll bring it down because I suspect they’ll want to associate with us.”
A Stark Pattern Across the Country
Analysis of official figures shows the extent of disparity can run, at times over nothing more than a few metres of tarmac, a line of hedges or a wall. Years of budget cuts and lack of funding have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of local authorities now contain a locality ranking as one of the poorest in the nation.
The spread of deprivation has led to a significant increase in the quantity of locations where disadvantaged and affluent residents find themselves living side by side. Just a few years ago, only 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods adjoined one of the wealthiest. This number increased to 119 in the latest data.
A Barrier Which Divides More Than Land
At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the most pronounced in the country and starkly apparent. The wall transcends being just a symbolic division; it creates very real difficulties for everyday life.
- School runs that ought to take 15-20 minutes become an hour-long journey.
- Access to important amenities like grocery stores, educational facilities and employment centres is made more difficult.
- The site can attract antisocial behaviour, with instances of litter being thrown over the wall and related issues.
“You try to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one local, gesturing towards the corroded barricade.
Local Bonds Amidst Challenges
Within Centre4, workers stress that support transcends addresses. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” said chief executive Tracey Good.
Regardless of being placed in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate retains a fierce loyalty and feeling of togetherness among its inhabitants. By contrast, Scartho is classified among the most prosperous 10% overall.
Echoes Elsewhere: An Estate in Kent
This phenomenon 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 closely bordered by spacious houses built in the early 2000s that sit in the top 10% for employment and living environment.
“They might have larger properties, but here there’s more community,” said a long-term resident, aged 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people over there never even talk to each other.”
The economic divide is evident: an average three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide comparable homes fetch about £410,000.
Residents speak of a tangible sense of neglect. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” said resident Susan. “Over here our facilities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the issues we face here are related to financial hardship.”
The increase in these ‘inequality borders’ paints a picture of an increasingly divided England, where prosperity and need are frequently awkwardly in close proximity.
