A Rising ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Prosperity and Hardship Now Sit Side by Side in England.
Within a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants live in properties only several yards from their wealthier counterparts in the adjacent Scartho. One 1.8-metre-high wall literally divides the two areas in the town of Grimsby, blocking off paths and streets that previously linked them.
“It’s the posh-poor divide,” said a resident, aged 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 mix with us.”
A Stark National Picture
Data from official statistics reveals the extent of inequality can run, sometimes over nothing more than a few metres of tarmac, a line of hedges or a wall. Years of austerity and lack of funding mean a majority of councils now have a locality ranking as one of the most deprived in the country.
This spread of deprivation has coincided with a significant increase in the number of places where disadvantaged and well-off people end up living side by side. Just a few years ago, just 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods adjoined one of the least deprived. That figure increased to 119 in the latest data.
A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Space
In Grimsby, the gap is the most pronounced in the UK and painfully obvious. The wall transcends being just a symbolic division; it causes very real problems for everyday life.
- The school commute that should take a quarter of an hour become an hour-long journey.
- Access to important services like grocery stores, educational facilities and care homes is hindered.
- The area can attract antisocial behaviour, with instances of rubbish being dumped over the wall and related problems.
“You try to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one resident, motioning at the corroded barricade.
Community Spirit Amidst Challenges
At a local community centre, staff stress that support transcends postcodes. “Where you live is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” explained director a community leader.
Despite being placed in the lowest 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, the estate boasts a strong sense and feeling of community among its residents. By contrast, the neighbouring area ranks among the most prosperous 10% nationally.
A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford
This phenomenon is repeated nationally. The Stanhope area in Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in the country. It is immediately adjacent by large houses built in the 2000s that sit in the top 10% for job prospects and living environment.
“They might have bigger houses, but here there’s more community,” commented Phil Hockley, aged 63. “It’s likely many people in the new builds never even talk to each other.”
The financial gap is evident: an typical three-bedroom house costs about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide comparable homes fetch about £410,000.
Residents speak of a tangible sense of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” said resident Susan. “Over here our amenities have slowly been taken away, and the majority of the issues we face here are to do with financial hardship.”
The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a portrait of an increasingly divided society, where wealth and deprivation are frequently uncomfortably in close proximity.
