The Growing ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: The Way Affluence and Hardship Are Found Side by Side in England.
In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants occupy properties just a few metres from their wealthier neighbours in nearby Scartho village. One 1.8-metre-high barricade literally separates the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off paths and streets that once connected them.
“This is the divide between rich and poor,” said Serenity Colley, aged 37. “It has been there since I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll bring it down because I don’t think they’ll want to mix with us.”
A Stark National Picture
Data from official figures shows the extent of inequality often exists, sometimes across little more than a few metres of tarmac, a line of hedges or a wall. Decades of austerity and underinvestment have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of councils now contain a neighbourhood ranking as one of the poorest in the nation.
This geographical widening of deprivation has led to a significant increase in the quantity of places where disadvantaged and well-off residents find themselves living side by side. Just a few years ago, just 65 of the most deprived areas adjoined one of the wealthiest. This number rose to 119 in the latest data.
A Barrier Which Divides More Than Space
In Grimsby, the gap is the most pronounced in the country and starkly obvious. The barrier is much more than 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.
- Access to key services like grocery stores, schools and employment centres is hindered.
- The site often sees vandalism and loitering, with instances of litter being thrown over the wall and other problems.
“People strive to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one local, motioning at the corroded metal wall.
Community Spirit Amidst Hardship
Within Centre4, workers stress that need does not recognise postcodes. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” said director a community leader.
Despite ranking in the lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate boasts a fierce loyalty and feeling of community among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, Scartho is classified among the most prosperous 10% overall.
A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford
This phenomenon is repeated nationally. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of neighbourhoods in England. It is immediately adjacent by spacious houses built in the early 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for employment and living environment.
“They might have larger properties, but here there’s more community,” commented Phil Hockley, aged 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people over there don’t even speak to each other.”
The financial divide is clear: an average family home sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide comparable homes go for about £410,000.
Locals speak of a tangible sense of neglect. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” stated resident Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our facilities have gradually disappeared, and most of the issues we face here are to do with financial hardship.”
The rise in these ‘inequality borders’ presents a picture of an ever more divided society, where prosperity and need are often uncomfortably close neighbours.