The Rising ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: The Way Prosperity and Deprivation Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in England.

Within Nunsthorpe, inhabitants occupy homes just several yards from their more affluent counterparts in nearby Scartho village. A 1.8-metre-high wall literally separates the two communities in the town of Grimsby, blocking off roads and walkways that previously linked them.

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

Data from government statistics reveals the extent of inequality often exists, at times across little more than a short distance of tarmac, a hedge row or a barrier. Years of austerity and lack of funding have led to a situation where a majority of local authorities now contain a neighbourhood classified as one of the poorest in the country.

This spread of poverty has led to a significant rise in the quantity of locations where deprived and well-off residents end up as immediate neighbours. In 2019, only 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods adjoined one of the wealthiest. That figure increased to 119 in the most recent data.

A Wall That Divides More Than Land

In Grimsby, the divide is the most pronounced in the country and painfully apparent. The wall transcends being just a symbolic division; it causes tangible problems for everyday life.

• School runs that ought to take a quarter of an hour become an hour-long detour.
• Access to important services like grocery stores, schools and employment centres is hindered.
• The site can attract vandalism and loitering, with instances of rubbish being thrown over the wall and other problems.

“You try to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one local, gesturing towards the corroded barricade.

Community Spirit Against a Backdrop of Challenges

At a local community centre, workers stress that need does not recognise addresses. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” explained director Tracey Good.

Regardless of ranking in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe boasts a strong sense and sense of togetherness among its residents. Meanwhile, the neighbouring area ranks among the most prosperous 10% nationally.

A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford

This pattern is repeated across the country. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of neighbourhoods in the country. It is immediately adjacent by large detached homes built in the early 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for employment 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 economic gap is clear: an average three-bedroom house costs about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide equivalent properties fetch about £410,000.

Residents describe a palpable sense of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” said resident Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our facilities have slowly been taken away, and the majority of the community problems here are related to poverty.”

The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a portrait of an ever more divided society, where prosperity and need are frequently awkwardly close neighbours.