The Growing ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: The Way Affluence and Deprivation Are Found Side by Side in England.
In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, residents live in homes just several yards from their wealthier neighbours in the adjacent Scartho village. One 1.8-metre-high barricade literally separates the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off roads and walkways that previously linked them.
“It’s 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 mix with us.”
A Stark Pattern Across the Country
Analysis of government statistics shows how deep disparity often exists, at times over nothing more than a short distance of tarmac, a hedge row or a barrier. Years of austerity and underinvestment have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of councils now contain a locality classified as one of the poorest in the country.
This geographical widening of deprivation has led to a sharp increase in the quantity of places where deprived and affluent people find themselves living side by side. In 2019, just 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods bordered one of the least deprived. That figure increased to 119 in the latest data.
A Wall That Divides More Than Land
At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the biggest in the country and painfully obvious. The wall transcends being just a symbolic divide; it causes very real problems for everyday life.
- School runs that ought to take 15-20 minutes turn into an hour-long journey.
- Access to important amenities like supermarkets, schools and employment centres is made more difficult.
- The area often sees vandalism and loitering, with instances of litter being dumped over the wall and other problems.
“People strive to maintain a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one local, gesturing towards the corroded metal wall.
Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Hardship
Within a local community centre, workers emphasise that need transcends postcodes. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” said chief executive a community leader.
Regardless of ranking in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe retains a strong sense and feeling of togetherness among its residents. Meanwhile, Scartho is classified among the least deprived 10% overall.
Echoes Elsewhere: Stanhope in Ashford
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 neighbourhoods in England. It is immediately adjacent by large houses built in the early 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for employment and quality of surroundings.
“They may possess larger properties, but here there’s more community,” commented a long-term resident, aged 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people in the new builds never even talk to each other.”
The financial gap is clear: an typical three-bedroom house costs about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide comparable homes go for about £410,000.
Residents describe a tangible sense of neglect. “This part of the community is neglected,” stated resident Susan. “Over here our amenities have gradually disappeared, and most of the community problems here are to do with financial hardship.”
The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a picture of an ever more segregated society, where wealth and deprivation are frequently uncomfortably in close proximity.
