🔗 Share this article A Growing ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Affluence and Deprivation Are Found Cheek by Jowl in England. In Nunsthorpe, inhabitants live in homes just a few metres from their more affluent counterparts in nearby Scartho village. One 1.8-metre-high wall literally divides the two communities in the town of Grimsby, blocking off roads and walkways that once connected them. “It’s the posh-poor divide,” remarked Serenity Colley, 37. “It’s been like this 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 Analysis of official figures shows how deep disparity can run, at times over nothing more than a short distance of asphalt, a line of hedges or a barrier. Years of budget cuts and lack of funding have led to a situation where a majority of councils now have a neighbourhood classified as one of the poorest in the country. The geographical widening of poverty has coincided with a sharp increase in the quantity of places where disadvantaged and affluent people end up living side by side. In 2019, only 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods bordered one of the wealthiest. This number rose to 119 in the most recent data. A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Land In Grimsby, the gap is the most pronounced in the UK and starkly obvious. The wall is much more than a symbolic division; it causes tangible difficulties for daily routines. The school commute that ought to take a quarter of an hour turn into an sixty-minute detour. Access to important services like grocery stores, schools and care homes is made more difficult. The site can attract antisocial behaviour, with reports of litter being thrown over the wall and other problems. “You try to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one local, motioning at the corroded metal wall. Local Bonds Amidst Hardship At Centre4, workers emphasise that support transcends addresses. “Where you live is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” explained director Tracey Good. Regardless of being placed in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate boasts a strong sense and sense of togetherness among its residents. Meanwhile, Scartho ranks among the most prosperous 10% overall. A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent This phenomenon is repeated across the country. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the 10% most deprived of neighbourhoods in the country. It is closely bordered by spacious houses built in the early 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and quality of surroundings. “They may possess bigger houses, but here there’s more community,” commented Phil Hockley, 63. “You’ll probably find many people over there don’t even speak to each other.” The financial divide is evident: an average family home sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide comparable properties go for about £410,000. Locals speak of a tangible sense of neglect. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” said resident Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our amenities have slowly been taken away, and most of the community problems here are related to financial hardship.” The increase in these ‘inequality borders’ presents a picture of an ever more segregated society, where wealth and deprivation are frequently awkwardly in close proximity.
In Nunsthorpe, inhabitants live in homes just a few metres from their more affluent counterparts in nearby Scartho village. One 1.8-metre-high wall literally divides the two communities in the town of Grimsby, blocking off roads and walkways that once connected them. “It’s the posh-poor divide,” remarked Serenity Colley, 37. “It’s been like this 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 Analysis of official figures shows how deep disparity can run, at times over nothing more than a short distance of asphalt, a line of hedges or a barrier. Years of budget cuts and lack of funding have led to a situation where a majority of councils now have a neighbourhood classified as one of the poorest in the country. The geographical widening of poverty has coincided with a sharp increase in the quantity of places where disadvantaged and affluent people end up living side by side. In 2019, only 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods bordered one of the wealthiest. This number rose to 119 in the most recent data. A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Land In Grimsby, the gap is the most pronounced in the UK and starkly obvious. The wall is much more than a symbolic division; it causes tangible difficulties for daily routines. The school commute that ought to take a quarter of an hour turn into an sixty-minute detour. Access to important services like grocery stores, schools and care homes is made more difficult. The site can attract antisocial behaviour, with reports of litter being thrown over the wall and other problems. “You try to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one local, motioning at the corroded metal wall. Local Bonds Amidst Hardship At Centre4, workers emphasise that support transcends addresses. “Where you live is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” explained director Tracey Good. Regardless of being placed in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate boasts a strong sense and sense of togetherness among its residents. Meanwhile, Scartho ranks among the most prosperous 10% overall. A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent This phenomenon is repeated across the country. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the 10% most deprived of neighbourhoods in the country. It is closely bordered by spacious houses built in the early 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and quality of surroundings. “They may possess bigger houses, but here there’s more community,” commented Phil Hockley, 63. “You’ll probably find many people over there don’t even speak to each other.” The financial divide is evident: an average family home sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide comparable properties go for about £410,000. Locals speak of a tangible sense of neglect. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” said resident Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our amenities have slowly been taken away, and most of the community problems here are related to financial hardship.” The increase in these ‘inequality borders’ presents a picture of an ever more segregated society, where wealth and deprivation are frequently awkwardly in close proximity.