🔗 Share this article A Rising ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: The Way Affluence and Deprivation Now Sit Side by Side in Across England. Within Nunsthorpe, residents occupy homes only a few metres from their more affluent counterparts in nearby Scartho. A six-foot-tall barricade physically divides the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off paths and streets that once connected them. “This is the posh-poor divide,” said Serenity Colley, 37. “It’s been like this for as long as 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 statistics shows the extent of disparity can run, sometimes over nothing more than a short distance of tarmac, a line of hedges or a barrier. Years of budget cuts and lack of funding have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of councils now contain a locality classified as one of the most deprived in the country. The geographical widening of poverty has coincided with a significant rise in the number of places where disadvantaged and well-off residents end up living side by side. Just a few years ago, just 65 of the poorest areas adjoined one of the wealthiest. 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 barrier is much more than a metaphorical divide; it causes tangible difficulties for everyday life. School runs that ought to take 15-20 minutes become an sixty-minute journey. Reaching key amenities like supermarkets, educational facilities and care homes is made more difficult. The area often sees antisocial behaviour, with reports of rubbish being thrown over the wall and related problems. “You try to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” noted one local, motioning at the corroded metal wall. Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Hardship Within Centre4, staff stress that support does not recognise postcodes. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” said director a community leader. Despite ranking in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe retains a fierce loyalty and feeling of community among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, Scartho is classified among the most prosperous 10% nationally. A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent This phenomenon is repeated nationally. The Stanhope area in Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in the country. It is immediately adjacent by large detached homes built in the 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and living environment. “They might have larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” commented Phil Hockley, aged 63. “It’s likely many people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.” The economic divide is clear: an typical three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide equivalent homes go for about £410,000. Residents speak of a palpable feeling of neglect. “This part of the community is neglected,” stated holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our amenities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the issues we face here are to do with financial hardship.” The increase in these ‘inequality borders’ paints a portrait of an increasingly divided society, where prosperity and deprivation are often awkwardly close neighbours.
Within Nunsthorpe, residents occupy homes only a few metres from their more affluent counterparts in nearby Scartho. A six-foot-tall barricade physically divides the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off paths and streets that once connected them. “This is the posh-poor divide,” said Serenity Colley, 37. “It’s been like this for as long as 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 statistics shows the extent of disparity can run, sometimes over nothing more than a short distance of tarmac, a line of hedges or a barrier. Years of budget cuts and lack of funding have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of councils now contain a locality classified as one of the most deprived in the country. The geographical widening of poverty has coincided with a significant rise in the number of places where disadvantaged and well-off residents end up living side by side. Just a few years ago, just 65 of the poorest areas adjoined one of the wealthiest. 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 barrier is much more than a metaphorical divide; it causes tangible difficulties for everyday life. School runs that ought to take 15-20 minutes become an sixty-minute journey. Reaching key amenities like supermarkets, educational facilities and care homes is made more difficult. The area often sees antisocial behaviour, with reports of rubbish being thrown over the wall and related problems. “You try to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” noted one local, motioning at the corroded metal wall. Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Hardship Within Centre4, staff stress that support does not recognise postcodes. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” said director a community leader. Despite ranking in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe retains a fierce loyalty and feeling of community among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, Scartho is classified among the most prosperous 10% nationally. A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent This phenomenon is repeated nationally. The Stanhope area in Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in the country. It is immediately adjacent by large detached homes built in the 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and living environment. “They might have larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” commented Phil Hockley, aged 63. “It’s likely many people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.” The economic divide is clear: an typical three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide equivalent homes go for about £410,000. Residents speak of a palpable feeling of neglect. “This part of the community is neglected,” stated holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our amenities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the issues we face here are to do with financial hardship.” The increase in these ‘inequality borders’ paints a portrait of an increasingly divided society, where prosperity and deprivation are often awkwardly close neighbours.