🔗 Share this article The Rising ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: The Way Prosperity and Hardship Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in Across England. In Nunsthorpe, residents occupy homes just a few metres from their wealthier counterparts in the adjacent Scartho. A 1.8-metre-high wall literally separates the two areas in the town of Grimsby, sealing off roads and walkways that previously connected them. “This is the posh-poor divide,” remarked Serenity Colley, 37. “It’s been like this for as long as I’ve known. I doubt they’ll take it down because I don’t think they’ll want to mix with us.” An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country Data from official figures shows the extent of disparity can run, sometimes over nothing more than a few metres of tarmac, a hedge row or a wall. Decades of austerity and underinvestment have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of councils now have a locality ranking as one of the most deprived in the nation. The geographical widening of poverty has coincided with a sharp rise in the quantity of places where disadvantaged and affluent people end up living side by side. Just a few years ago, only 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods bordered one of the least deprived. This number increased to 119 in the latest data. A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Land At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the most pronounced in the country and starkly apparent. The barrier transcends being just a metaphorical division; it causes tangible problems for everyday life. School runs that ought to take 15-20 minutes turn into an hour-long journey. Access to important amenities like grocery stores, educational facilities and employment centres is made more difficult. The site often sees vandalism and loitering, with instances of rubbish being thrown over the wall and related problems. “People strive to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one local, motioning at the rusted barricade. Community Spirit Against a Backdrop of Hardship At Centre4, workers emphasise that need does not recognise addresses. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” explained director Tracey Good. Regardless of ranking in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe retains a strong sense and sense of togetherness among its residents. By contrast, the neighbouring area ranks among the most prosperous 10% nationally. A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent This phenomenon is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope area in Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in England. It is closely bordered by spacious houses built in the 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and quality of surroundings. “They may possess larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” said Phil Hockley, aged 63. “You’ll probably find 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 equivalent properties go for about £410,000. Locals describe a palpable sense of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” stated resident Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our amenities have slowly been taken away, and most of the community problems here are related to poverty.” The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a portrait of an increasingly segregated England, where wealth and need are frequently uncomfortably close neighbours.
In Nunsthorpe, residents occupy homes just a few metres from their wealthier counterparts in the adjacent Scartho. A 1.8-metre-high wall literally separates the two areas in the town of Grimsby, sealing off roads and walkways that previously connected them. “This is the posh-poor divide,” remarked Serenity Colley, 37. “It’s been like this for as long as I’ve known. I doubt they’ll take it down because I don’t think they’ll want to mix with us.” An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country Data from official figures shows the extent of disparity can run, sometimes over nothing more than a few metres of tarmac, a hedge row or a wall. Decades of austerity and underinvestment have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of councils now have a locality ranking as one of the most deprived in the nation. The geographical widening of poverty has coincided with a sharp rise in the quantity of places where disadvantaged and affluent people end up living side by side. Just a few years ago, only 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods bordered one of the least deprived. This number increased to 119 in the latest data. A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Land At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the most pronounced in the country and starkly apparent. The barrier transcends being just a metaphorical division; it causes tangible problems for everyday life. School runs that ought to take 15-20 minutes turn into an hour-long journey. Access to important amenities like grocery stores, educational facilities and employment centres is made more difficult. The site often sees vandalism and loitering, with instances of rubbish being thrown over the wall and related problems. “People strive to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one local, motioning at the rusted barricade. Community Spirit Against a Backdrop of Hardship At Centre4, workers emphasise that need does not recognise addresses. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” explained director Tracey Good. Regardless of ranking in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe retains a strong sense and sense of togetherness among its residents. By contrast, the neighbouring area ranks among the most prosperous 10% nationally. A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent This phenomenon is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope area in Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in England. It is closely bordered by spacious houses built in the 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and quality of surroundings. “They may possess larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” said Phil Hockley, aged 63. “You’ll probably find 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 equivalent properties go for about £410,000. Locals describe a palpable sense of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” stated resident Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our amenities have slowly been taken away, and most of the community problems here are related to poverty.” The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a portrait of an increasingly segregated England, where wealth and need are frequently uncomfortably close neighbours.