A Growing ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: The Way Prosperity and Deprivation Are Found Side by Side in England.
Within a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, residents live in properties just a few metres from their more affluent neighbours in nearby Scartho. One six-foot-tall wall physically divides the two areas in the town of Grimsby, sealing off roads and walkways that previously connected them.
“It’s the divide between rich and poor,” remarked a resident, aged 37. “It’s been like this since I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll take it down because I don’t think they’ll want to mix with us.”
A Stark National Picture
Analysis of government statistics reveals the extent of disparity can run, at times over little more than a few metres of tarmac, a line of hedges or a barrier. Decades of austerity and lack of funding have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of councils now have a neighbourhood ranking as one of the poorest in the country.
The spread of poverty has coincided with a sharp increase in the number of locations where deprived and well-off people end up as immediate neighbours. In 2019, only 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods adjoined one of the wealthiest. This number increased to 119 in the latest data.
A Wall That Does More Than Separate Space
In Grimsby, the divide is the biggest in the UK and painfully obvious. The wall transcends being just a symbolic division; it causes very real difficulties for everyday life.
- The school commute that ought to take a quarter of an hour turn into an hour-long detour.
- Access to important services like supermarkets, schools and care homes is made more difficult.
- The area can attract antisocial behaviour, with instances of litter being dumped over the wall and other issues.
“You try to maintain a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one resident, gesturing towards the rusted barricade.
Local Bonds Amidst Hardship
Within Centre4, staff emphasise that need transcends addresses. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” said chief executive Tracey Good.
Regardless of ranking in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, the estate retains a fierce loyalty and feeling of community among its inhabitants. By contrast, Scartho ranks among the least deprived 10% nationally.
A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford
This pattern is repeated across the country. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in the country. It is closely bordered by spacious detached homes built in the early 2000s that are in the top 10% for employment and quality of surroundings.
“They might have bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” commented Phil Hockley, 63. “It’s likely a lot of people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.”
The economic divide is clear: an typical family home sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide equivalent homes go for about £410,000.
Residents describe a tangible feeling of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” said resident Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our amenities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the issues we face here are to do with poverty.”
The rise in these ‘inequality borders’ paints a picture of an ever more segregated society, where wealth and deprivation are frequently awkwardly close neighbours.