The Growing ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: The Way Affluence and Hardship Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in England.

Within Nunsthorpe, residents occupy properties only a few metres from their more affluent counterparts in nearby Scartho. One six-foot-tall barricade physically separates the two areas in the town of Grimsby, sealing off roads and walkways that previously connected them.

“This is the divide between rich and poor,” remarked Serenity Colley, aged 37. “It has been there for as long as I’ve known. I doubt they’ll take it down because I suspect they’ll want to associate with us.”

A Stark National Picture

Data from government figures reveals how deep inequality can run, at times across little more than a short distance of tarmac, a hedge row or a barrier. Years of austerity and lack of funding mean a majority of councils now have a locality ranking as one of the poorest in the nation.

This spread of poverty has led to a sharp rise in the number of places where deprived and affluent residents end up as immediate neighbours. In 2019, just 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods bordered one of the wealthiest. This number rose to 119 in the latest data.

A Barrier Which Divides More Than Space

At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the most pronounced in the country and painfully apparent. The barrier is much more than a metaphorical divide; it creates very real difficulties for everyday life.

• The school commute that should take 15-20 minutes turn into an hour-long journey.
• Reaching key amenities like supermarkets, educational facilities and employment centres is made more difficult.
• The site often sees vandalism and loitering, with reports of rubbish being dumped over the wall and related issues.

“You try to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one local, gesturing towards the rusted metal wall.

Community Spirit Amidst Challenges

Within a local community centre, workers stress that support transcends postcodes. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” explained director a community leader.

Despite being placed in the lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate boasts a strong sense and feeling of community among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, Scartho is classified among the least deprived 10% nationally.

Echoes Elsewhere: Stanhope in Ashford

This pattern is repeated nationally. The Stanhope estate in Ashford, Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in the country. It is immediately adjacent by spacious detached homes built in the early 2000s that sit in the top 10% for job prospects and living environment.

“They might have larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” said a long-term resident, 63. “It’s likely a lot of people in the new builds never even talk to each other.”

The financial divide is evident: an average three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide equivalent properties fetch about £410,000.

Residents describe a palpable feeling of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” said resident Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our facilities have slowly been taken away, and most of the community problems here are related to financial hardship.”

The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a picture of an ever more segregated England, where wealth and deprivation are frequently awkwardly in close proximity.