The Rising ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: How Prosperity and Hardship Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in Across England.
Within a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants live in homes just several yards from their wealthier counterparts in the adjacent Scartho. One 1.8-metre-high wall literally divides the two communities in the town of Grimsby, sealing off roads and walkways that previously linked them.
“It’s the posh-poor divide,” said a resident, aged 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 mix with us.”
A Stark National Picture
Data from government figures reveals the extent of disparity can run, at times over nothing more than a few metres of tarmac, a line of hedges or a barrier. Years of austerity and lack of funding have led to a situation where a majority of councils now contain a neighbourhood ranking as one of the most deprived in the nation.
The spread of deprivation has led to a sharp increase in the number of places where disadvantaged and well-off people end up living side by side. Just a few years ago, just 65 of the most deprived areas adjoined one of the least deprived. This number increased to 119 in the most recent data.
A Barrier Which Divides More Than Land
In Grimsby, the gap is the most pronounced in the UK and starkly apparent. The wall is much more than a metaphorical division; it creates tangible difficulties for everyday life.
- School runs that ought to take a quarter of an hour turn into an sixty-minute detour.
- Reaching key services like grocery stores, schools and care homes is hindered.
- The area often sees antisocial behaviour, with reports of litter 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 Hardship
At a local community centre, staff stress that need does not recognise addresses. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” explained director Tracey Good.
Despite being placed in the lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate retains a strong sense and sense of community among its residents. By contrast, the neighbouring area is classified among the least deprived 10% nationally.
Echoes Elsewhere: Stanhope in Ashford
This phenomenon is repeated nationally. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of neighbourhoods in the country. It is immediately adjacent by large detached homes built in the early 2000s that are in the top 10% for employment and living environment.
“They may possess bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” commented 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 typical family home costs about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide equivalent homes fetch about £410,000.
Locals describe a tangible feeling of neglect. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” stated holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our amenities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the issues we face here are to do with financial hardship.”
The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a picture of an increasingly segregated England, where wealth and need are frequently awkwardly close neighbours.
