The Growing ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Prosperity and Deprivation Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in England.

Within Nunsthorpe, inhabitants live in properties only several yards from their wealthier neighbours in nearby Scartho. A six-foot-tall wall literally separates the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off paths and streets that once linked them.

“It’s the posh-poor divide,” said a resident, aged 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.”

An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country

Data from government statistics reveals the extent of inequality often exists, at times over little more than a short distance of asphalt, a hedge row or a wall. Years of austerity and lack of funding mean almost two-thirds of councils now contain a locality ranking as one of the poorest in the country.

This spread of deprivation has led to a significant increase in the quantity of places where disadvantaged and affluent residents find themselves living side by side. Just a few years ago, just 65 of the poorest areas bordered one of the wealthiest. That figure increased to 119 in the latest data.

A Barrier Which Divides More Than Space

In Grimsby, the divide is the biggest in the UK and painfully apparent. The barrier is much more than a metaphorical divide; it causes very real difficulties for daily routines.

• The school commute that ought to take a quarter of an hour turn into an sixty-minute detour.
• Reaching key services like grocery stores, schools and employment centres is made more difficult.
• The site can attract antisocial behaviour, with instances of rubbish being thrown over the wall and related issues.

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

Community Spirit Amidst Hardship

Within a local community centre, workers stress that support does not recognise addresses. “Where you live is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” said director Tracey Good.

Despite ranking in the lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe boasts a strong sense and feeling of community among its residents. Meanwhile, Scartho is classified among the most prosperous 10% nationally.

Echoes Elsewhere: Stanhope in Ashford

This phenomenon is mirrored nationally. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a mid-century housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in England. It is closely bordered by large houses built in the 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for employment and quality of surroundings.

“They may possess bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” commented Phil Hockley, aged 63. “It’s likely a lot of people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.”

The economic gap is clear: an typical family home sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while on the other side comparable properties go for about £410,000.

Residents describe a palpable feeling of being overlooked. “This part of the community gets ignored,” said resident Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our facilities have gradually disappeared, and most of the issues we face here are related to financial hardship.”

The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a portrait of an ever more segregated society, where prosperity and deprivation are often awkwardly close neighbours.