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

In Nunsthorpe, residents live in properties just a few metres from their wealthier neighbours in nearby Scartho. A six-foot-tall wall literally separates the two communities in the town of Grimsby, sealing off roads and walkways that previously connected them.

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

A Stark National Picture

Data from government figures shows how deep disparity often exists, at times over nothing more than a short distance of tarmac, a hedge row or a wall. Years of austerity and lack of funding mean almost two-thirds of councils now have a neighbourhood classified as one of the most deprived in the nation.

The spread of poverty has led to a significant increase in the quantity of places where disadvantaged and affluent people find themselves as immediate neighbours. In 2019, only 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods adjoined one of the least deprived. 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 UK and starkly apparent. The barrier transcends being just a metaphorical division; it creates tangible problems for everyday life.

• School runs that should take a quarter of an hour turn into an hour-long journey.
• Reaching key amenities like grocery stores, educational facilities and care homes is hindered.
• The area often sees antisocial behaviour, with reports of litter being dumped over the wall and other issues.

“You try to have a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one resident, gesturing towards the corroded barricade.

Local Bonds Amidst Challenges

At a local community centre, staff emphasise that support transcends addresses. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” said director a community leader.

Regardless of being placed in the lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe boasts a strong sense and sense of togetherness among its residents. Meanwhile, Scartho ranks among the least deprived 10% nationally.

A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford

This pattern is repeated across the country. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of neighbourhoods in the country. It is immediately adjacent by spacious houses built in the early 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for employment and quality of surroundings.

“They might have bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” commented Phil Hockley, 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people in the new builds never even talk to each other.”

The economic divide is evident: an typical family home sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide comparable homes go for about £410,000.

Locals describe a tangible sense of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” said resident Susan. “In this area our facilities have slowly been taken away, and most of the issues we face here are to do with poverty.”

The increase in these ‘inequality borders’ presents a portrait of an increasingly divided society, where wealth and need are often uncomfortably in close proximity.