The Growing ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: The Way Prosperity and Hardship Are Found Cheek by Jowl in Across England.

In Nunsthorpe, inhabitants occupy homes just a few metres from their wealthier neighbours in nearby Scartho village. One 1.8-metre-high wall literally divides the two areas in the town of Grimsby, sealing off paths and streets that previously connected them.

“This is the posh-poor divide,” said Serenity Colley, 37. “It’s been like this for as long as I’ve known. I doubt they’ll bring it down because I don’t think they’ll want to mix with us.”

An Increasingly Common National Picture

Analysis of government figures shows the extent of inequality often exists, sometimes over nothing more than a few metres of asphalt, a line of hedges or a barrier. Decades of budget cuts and lack of funding have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of councils now have a neighbourhood classified as one of the most deprived in the nation.

This spread of deprivation has coincided with a sharp rise in the number of places where deprived and affluent residents find themselves as immediate neighbours. In 2019, just 65 of the poorest areas adjoined one of the least deprived. That figure rose to 119 in the latest data.

A Barrier Which Divides More Than Space

At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the most pronounced in the country and starkly obvious. The wall transcends being just a symbolic divide; it creates very real difficulties for everyday life.

• School runs that ought to take 15-20 minutes turn into an hour-long detour.
• Reaching key amenities like grocery stores, schools and employment centres is hindered.
• The site often sees antisocial behaviour, with reports of rubbish being thrown over the wall and other problems.

“You try to have a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one resident, motioning at the corroded metal wall.

Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Challenges

At a local community centre, staff stress that support transcends postcodes. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” explained director a community leader.

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

A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford

This phenomenon is mirrored nationally. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in the country. It is immediately adjacent by spacious houses built in the 2000s that sit in the top 10% for employment and quality of surroundings.

“They might have larger properties, but here there’s more community,” said a long-term resident, aged 63. “You’ll probably find many people over there never even talk to each other.”

The financial gap is evident: an average family home costs about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while on the other side comparable homes fetch about £410,000.

Locals describe a palpable feeling of neglect. “This part of the community gets ignored,” said resident 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 ‘deprivation divides’ presents a picture of an ever more segregated England, where wealth and deprivation are frequently uncomfortably in close proximity.