The Growing ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: How Prosperity and Deprivation Now Sit Side by Side in England.

In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, residents occupy properties only a few metres from their more affluent counterparts in nearby Scartho village. One six-foot-tall barricade literally separates the two communities in the town of Grimsby, blocking off paths and streets that previously linked them.

“It’s the divide between rich and poor,” said Serenity Colley, 37. “It’s been like this since I’ve known. I doubt 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 how deep inequality often exists, at times across little more than a short distance of tarmac, a hedge row or a wall. Years of austerity and lack of funding have led to a situation where a majority of local authorities now have a neighbourhood classified as one of the poorest in the country.

This geographical widening of deprivation has coincided with a significant increase in the number of locations where deprived and affluent residents end up living side by side. In 2019, just 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods bordered one of the least deprived. That figure rose to 119 in the latest data.

A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Space

In Grimsby, the gap is the biggest in the UK and starkly apparent. The barrier transcends being just a metaphorical divide; it causes tangible problems for everyday life.

• School runs that ought to take a quarter of an hour become an sixty-minute journey.
• Reaching important amenities like grocery stores, schools and employment centres is hindered.
• The area can attract antisocial behaviour, with reports of litter being dumped over the wall and related problems.

“People strive to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one local, motioning at the corroded metal wall.

Community Spirit Against a Backdrop of Hardship

At Centre4, staff emphasise that support transcends addresses. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” explained chief executive Tracey Good.

Regardless of ranking in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe retains a strong sense and feeling of togetherness among its residents. Meanwhile, Scartho ranks among the most prosperous 10% overall.

A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent

This phenomenon is repeated across the country. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a mid-century housing development, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in the country. It is immediately adjacent by large houses built in the early 2000s that sit in the top 10% for job prospects and quality of surroundings.

“They might have larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” said a long-term resident, aged 63. “It’s likely a lot of people in the new builds never even talk 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 homes go for about £410,000.

Residents describe a tangible feeling of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” said holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our facilities have slowly been taken away, and most of the issues we face here are to do with poverty.”

The increase in these ‘inequality borders’ paints a picture of an ever more segregated society, where prosperity and need are frequently uncomfortably close neighbours.