A Growing ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: The Way Prosperity and Deprivation Now Sit Side by Side in England.

Within a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, residents occupy homes just several yards from their more affluent neighbours in the adjacent Scartho. One six-foot-tall wall physically divides the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off roads and walkways that previously connected them.

“This is the divide between rich and poor,” said a resident, aged 37. “It’s been like this since I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll take it down because I don’t think they’ll want to mix with us.”

A Stark Pattern Across the Country

Analysis of government figures reveals how deep inequality can run, at times over nothing more than a few metres of asphalt, a line of hedges or a barrier. Decades of austerity and lack of funding have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of local authorities 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 number of locations where disadvantaged and affluent residents end up living side by side. In 2019, just 65 of the most deprived areas bordered one of the least deprived. This number increased to 119 in the most recent data.

A Wall That Divides More Than Space

In Grimsby, the gap is the most pronounced in the UK and starkly obvious. The wall transcends being just a metaphorical division; it causes very real difficulties for daily routines.

• School runs that ought to take a quarter of an hour turn into an hour-long journey.
• Access to key services like supermarkets, schools and employment centres is made more difficult.
• The site often sees vandalism and loitering, with instances of rubbish being thrown over the wall and other problems.

“People strive to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one local, gesturing towards the corroded barricade.

Community Spirit Amidst Challenges

At a local community centre, workers stress that need transcends postcodes. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” explained chief executive Tracey Good.

Regardless of being placed in the lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate retains a fierce loyalty and feeling of togetherness among its residents. Meanwhile, the neighbouring area ranks among the least deprived 10% overall.

A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent

This phenomenon is repeated across the country. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a mid-century housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas 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 quality of surroundings.

“They might have bigger houses, but here there’s more community,” commented Phil Hockley, 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.”

The financial gap is evident: an average three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide comparable properties go for about £410,000.

Residents describe a tangible sense of being overlooked. “This part of the community is neglected,” stated holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our facilities have slowly been taken away, 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 wealth and deprivation are often awkwardly in close proximity.