A Rising ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: How Prosperity and Deprivation Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in Across England.
In Nunsthorpe, residents occupy properties just a few metres from their wealthier counterparts in the adjacent Scartho. A six-foot-tall wall literally separates the two areas in the town of Grimsby, blocking off roads and walkways that once linked them.
“This is the divide between rich and poor,” remarked a resident, 37. “It’s been like this since I’ve known. I doubt they’ll take it down because I don’t think they’ll want to associate with us.”
An Increasingly Common National Picture
Analysis of government figures reveals the extent of inequality often exists, sometimes over nothing more than a short distance of tarmac, a line of hedges or a barrier. Years of budget cuts and underinvestment have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of local authorities now contain a neighbourhood ranking as one of the most deprived in the country.
This geographical widening of deprivation has led to a significant increase in the quantity of locations where deprived and well-off people find themselves as immediate neighbours. Just a few years ago, just 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods adjoined one of the wealthiest. This number increased to 119 in the most recent data.
A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Land
At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the most pronounced in the country and starkly obvious. The wall transcends being just a metaphorical division; it causes very real problems for daily routines.
- School runs that should take 15-20 minutes turn into an hour-long detour.
- Access to key services like supermarkets, educational facilities and care homes is made more difficult.
- 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 reside facing that,” noted one local, motioning at the rusted metal wall.
Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Challenges
Within a local community centre, workers stress that need transcends postcodes. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” said director Tracey Good.
Despite being placed in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, the estate retains a strong sense and sense of community among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, the neighbouring area ranks among the most prosperous 10% nationally.
A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent
This pattern is repeated across the country. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of neighbourhoods in England. It is closely bordered by spacious houses built in the 2000s that sit in the top 10% for job prospects and living environment.
“They may possess bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” commented Phil Hockley, aged 63. “It’s likely many people over there don’t even speak to each other.”
The economic 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 feeling of neglect. “This part of the community gets ignored,” stated holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our amenities have gradually disappeared, and most of the community problems here are related to financial hardship.”
The increase in these ‘inequality borders’ paints a picture of an ever more segregated England, where wealth and need are often uncomfortably in close proximity.
