🔗 Share this article The Growing ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: The Way Prosperity and Deprivation Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in Across England. In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, residents live in homes just a few metres from their more affluent neighbours in the adjacent Scartho village. A 1.8-metre-high barricade literally divides the two areas in the town of Grimsby, sealing off paths and streets that once linked them. “This is the divide between rich and poor,” said a resident, 37. “It’s been like this for as long as I’ve known. I doubt they’ll bring it down because I suspect they’ll want to associate with us.” An Increasingly Common National Picture Data from official statistics reveals the extent of inequality often exists, sometimes across nothing more than a few metres of asphalt, a hedge row or a wall. Years of budget cuts and underinvestment have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of councils now contain a neighbourhood classified as one of the most deprived in the nation. The geographical widening of deprivation has led to a significant increase in the quantity of places where deprived and well-off residents end up living side by side. In 2019, just 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods bordered one of the wealthiest. That figure increased to 119 in the most recent data. A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Land In Grimsby, the divide is the most pronounced in the UK and painfully obvious. The barrier is much more than a metaphorical division; it causes very real difficulties for daily routines. The school commute that ought to take 15-20 minutes turn into an sixty-minute detour. Reaching key amenities like grocery stores, schools and employment centres is made more difficult. The area often sees vandalism and loitering, with instances of litter being thrown over the wall and other problems. “People strive to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one local, gesturing towards the corroded metal wall. Local Bonds Amidst Hardship At a local community centre, workers stress that need does not recognise postcodes. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” explained director a community leader. Regardless of ranking in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe boasts a strong sense and sense of togetherness among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, the neighbouring area is classified among the least deprived 10% overall. A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford This pattern is mirrored nationally. The Stanhope area in Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in England. It is immediately adjacent by large houses built in the early 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and living environment. “They might have bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” said Phil Hockley, 63. “You’ll probably find many people in the new builds never even talk to each other.” The financial gap is clear: an average three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while on the other side equivalent homes go for about £410,000. Residents describe a palpable sense of neglect. “This part of the community gets ignored,” stated holistic health worker Susan. “Over here our amenities have slowly been taken away, and most of the issues we face here are to do with financial hardship.” The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a portrait of an ever more divided society, where prosperity and need are frequently awkwardly close neighbours.
In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, residents live in homes just a few metres from their more affluent neighbours in the adjacent Scartho village. A 1.8-metre-high barricade literally divides the two areas in the town of Grimsby, sealing off paths and streets that once linked them. “This is the divide between rich and poor,” said a resident, 37. “It’s been like this for as long as I’ve known. I doubt they’ll bring it down because I suspect they’ll want to associate with us.” An Increasingly Common National Picture Data from official statistics reveals the extent of inequality often exists, sometimes across nothing more than a few metres of asphalt, a hedge row or a wall. Years of budget cuts and underinvestment have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of councils now contain a neighbourhood classified as one of the most deprived in the nation. The geographical widening of deprivation has led to a significant increase in the quantity of places where deprived and well-off residents end up living side by side. In 2019, just 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods bordered one of the wealthiest. That figure increased to 119 in the most recent data. A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Land In Grimsby, the divide is the most pronounced in the UK and painfully obvious. The barrier is much more than a metaphorical division; it causes very real difficulties for daily routines. The school commute that ought to take 15-20 minutes turn into an sixty-minute detour. Reaching key amenities like grocery stores, schools and employment centres is made more difficult. The area often sees vandalism and loitering, with instances of litter being thrown over the wall and other problems. “People strive to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one local, gesturing towards the corroded metal wall. Local Bonds Amidst Hardship At a local community centre, workers stress that need does not recognise postcodes. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” explained director a community leader. Regardless of ranking in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe boasts a strong sense and sense of togetherness among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, the neighbouring area is classified among the least deprived 10% overall. A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford This pattern is mirrored nationally. The Stanhope area in Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in England. It is immediately adjacent by large houses built in the early 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and living environment. “They might have bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” said Phil Hockley, 63. “You’ll probably find many people in the new builds never even talk to each other.” The financial gap is clear: an average three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while on the other side equivalent homes go for about £410,000. Residents describe a palpable sense of neglect. “This part of the community gets ignored,” stated holistic health worker Susan. “Over here our amenities have slowly been taken away, and most of the issues we face here are to do with financial hardship.” The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a portrait of an ever more divided society, where prosperity and need are frequently awkwardly close neighbours.