The Growing ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Prosperity and Deprivation Are Found Side by Side in England.
In Nunsthorpe, inhabitants live in homes only a few metres from their wealthier counterparts in nearby Scartho. One 1.8-metre-high barricade physically divides the two areas in the town of Grimsby, blocking off paths and streets 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 don’t think they’ll want to associate with us.”
A Stark Pattern Across the Country
Data from official figures reveals the extent of inequality can run, at times over nothing more than a few metres of asphalt, a line of hedges or a barrier. Decades 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 poorest in the country.
This geographical widening of poverty has led to a significant increase in the quantity of places where deprived and affluent people end up 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 Wall That Does More Than Separate Land
In Grimsby, the gap is the most pronounced in the UK and starkly apparent. The barrier is much more than a metaphorical divide; it creates very real problems for everyday life.
- School runs that ought to take a quarter of an hour turn into an sixty-minute detour.
- Reaching important services like grocery stores, educational facilities and care homes is hindered.
- The site can attract antisocial behaviour, with instances of litter being dumped over the wall and related problems.
“You try to maintain a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one local, gesturing towards the rusted barricade.
Community Spirit Amidst Hardship
At Centre4, workers stress that support transcends postcodes. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” said chief executive a community leader.
Despite ranking in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe boasts a strong sense and feeling of togetherness among its residents. Meanwhile, Scartho ranks among the least deprived 10% nationally.
A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent
This pattern is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope area 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 2000s that are in the top 10% for job prospects and living environment.
“They might have larger properties, but here there’s more community,” said Phil Hockley, 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.”
The economic gap is clear: an typical family home costs about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide equivalent homes fetch about £410,000.
Residents speak of a palpable feeling of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” said resident Susan. “In this area our amenities have slowly been taken away, and most of the community problems here are related to financial hardship.”
The rise in these ‘inequality borders’ presents a portrait of an ever more divided society, where wealth and need are frequently awkwardly close neighbours.