🔗 Share this article A Growing ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: The Way Prosperity and Hardship Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in England. In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants live in homes just a few metres from their more affluent counterparts in the adjacent Scartho. One six-foot-tall wall physically divides the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off roads and walkways that once linked them. “This is the divide between rich and poor,” said Serenity Colley, aged 37. “It’s been like this for as long as I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll take it down because I suspect they’ll want to mix with us.” An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country Data from government statistics shows the extent of disparity can run, at times across nothing more than a few metres of tarmac, a hedge row or a barrier. Years of austerity and underinvestment mean almost two-thirds of councils now have a neighbourhood ranking as one of the poorest in the nation. This geographical widening of deprivation has coincided with a significant rise in the number of locations where deprived and well-off residents find themselves as immediate neighbours. In 2019, just 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods adjoined one of the wealthiest. That figure rose to 119 in the latest data. A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Land At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the biggest in the country and painfully apparent. The wall transcends being just a symbolic divide; it creates tangible problems for everyday life. The school commute that should take a quarter of an hour turn into an hour-long detour. Reaching important services like grocery stores, schools and employment centres is hindered. The site can attract antisocial behaviour, with instances of litter being thrown over the wall and related issues. “People strive to have a nice house and nice garden, and then you reside facing that,” noted one resident, gesturing towards the rusted metal wall. Local Bonds Amidst Hardship Within Centre4, workers emphasise that need transcends postcodes. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” said chief executive a community leader. Despite being placed in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe retains a fierce loyalty and feeling of togetherness among its inhabitants. By contrast, the neighbouring area ranks among the least deprived 10% nationally. A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford This phenomenon is mirrored nationally. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in the country. It is closely bordered by spacious houses built in the early 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and quality of surroundings. “They might have bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” commented a long-term resident, aged 63. “It’s likely many people over there don’t even speak to each other.” The economic divide is clear: an average three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide equivalent properties fetch about £410,000. Residents speak of a tangible sense of neglect. “This part of the community gets ignored,” stated resident Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our amenities have gradually disappeared, and most of the community problems here are related to poverty.” The increase in these ‘inequality borders’ paints a portrait of an increasingly segregated England, where wealth and need are often awkwardly close neighbours.
In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants live in homes just a few metres from their more affluent counterparts in the adjacent Scartho. One six-foot-tall wall physically divides the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off roads and walkways that once linked them. “This is the divide between rich and poor,” said Serenity Colley, aged 37. “It’s been like this for as long as I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll take it down because I suspect they’ll want to mix with us.” An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country Data from government statistics shows the extent of disparity can run, at times across nothing more than a few metres of tarmac, a hedge row or a barrier. Years of austerity and underinvestment mean almost two-thirds of councils now have a neighbourhood ranking as one of the poorest in the nation. This geographical widening of deprivation has coincided with a significant rise in the number of locations where deprived and well-off residents find themselves as immediate neighbours. In 2019, just 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods adjoined one of the wealthiest. That figure rose to 119 in the latest data. A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Land At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the biggest in the country and painfully apparent. The wall transcends being just a symbolic divide; it creates tangible problems for everyday life. The school commute that should take a quarter of an hour turn into an hour-long detour. Reaching important services like grocery stores, schools and employment centres is hindered. The site can attract antisocial behaviour, with instances of litter being thrown over the wall and related issues. “People strive to have a nice house and nice garden, and then you reside facing that,” noted one resident, gesturing towards the rusted metal wall. Local Bonds Amidst Hardship Within Centre4, workers emphasise that need transcends postcodes. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” said chief executive a community leader. Despite being placed in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe retains a fierce loyalty and feeling of togetherness among its inhabitants. By contrast, the neighbouring area ranks among the least deprived 10% nationally. A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford This phenomenon is mirrored nationally. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in the country. It is closely bordered by spacious houses built in the early 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and quality of surroundings. “They might have bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” commented a long-term resident, aged 63. “It’s likely many people over there don’t even speak to each other.” The economic divide is clear: an average three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide equivalent properties fetch about £410,000. Residents speak of a tangible sense of neglect. “This part of the community gets ignored,” stated resident Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our amenities have gradually disappeared, and most of the community problems here are related to poverty.” The increase in these ‘inequality borders’ paints a portrait of an increasingly segregated England, where wealth and need are often awkwardly close neighbours.