🔗 Share this article A Growing ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: The Way Prosperity and Hardship Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in England. Within a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, residents occupy homes just a few metres from their more affluent neighbours in the adjacent Scartho village. A 1.8-metre-high wall literally divides the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off roads and walkways that once linked them. “This is the posh-poor divide,” said Serenity Colley, aged 37. “It has been there for as long as I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll bring it down because I suspect they’ll want to mix with us.” An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country Data from official figures reveals how deep disparity can run, sometimes over nothing more than a short distance of tarmac, a hedge row or a barrier. Decades of budget cuts and lack of funding mean a majority of local authorities now contain a neighbourhood ranking as one of the poorest in the country. This spread of deprivation has led to a significant increase in the quantity of locations where deprived and affluent residents end up living side by side. Just a few years ago, just 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods bordered one of the least deprived. This number rose to 119 in the latest data. A Wall That Does More Than Separate Space At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the biggest in the country and painfully apparent. The barrier is much more than a metaphorical divide; it creates tangible difficulties for daily routines. The school commute that ought to take a quarter of an hour become an hour-long journey. Reaching important services like supermarkets, educational facilities and care homes is made more difficult. The area often sees vandalism and loitering, with instances of rubbish being dumped over the wall and related issues. “You try to have a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one local, gesturing towards the rusted metal wall. Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Hardship Within a local community centre, staff emphasise that need transcends addresses. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” explained director Tracey Good. Regardless of being placed in the lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate retains a fierce loyalty and sense of community among its inhabitants. By contrast, Scartho is classified among the least deprived 10% nationally. A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford This phenomenon is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in England. It is immediately adjacent by spacious detached homes built in the 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and living environment. “They might have bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” said Phil Hockley, aged 63. “It’s likely a lot of people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.” The economic gap is clear: an typical three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide equivalent properties fetch about £410,000. Locals speak of a palpable sense of being overlooked. “This part of the community gets ignored,” said holistic health worker Susan. “Over here our facilities have slowly been taken away, and the majority of the issues we face here are related to poverty.” The increase in these ‘inequality borders’ paints a picture of an increasingly divided society, where wealth and need are often awkwardly in close proximity.
Within a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, residents occupy homes just a few metres from their more affluent neighbours in the adjacent Scartho village. A 1.8-metre-high wall literally divides the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off roads and walkways that once linked them. “This is the posh-poor divide,” said Serenity Colley, aged 37. “It has been there for as long as I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll bring it down because I suspect they’ll want to mix with us.” An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country Data from official figures reveals how deep disparity can run, sometimes over nothing more than a short distance of tarmac, a hedge row or a barrier. Decades of budget cuts and lack of funding mean a majority of local authorities now contain a neighbourhood ranking as one of the poorest in the country. This spread of deprivation has led to a significant increase in the quantity of locations where deprived and affluent residents end up living side by side. Just a few years ago, just 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods bordered one of the least deprived. This number rose to 119 in the latest data. A Wall That Does More Than Separate Space At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the biggest in the country and painfully apparent. The barrier is much more than a metaphorical divide; it creates tangible difficulties for daily routines. The school commute that ought to take a quarter of an hour become an hour-long journey. Reaching important services like supermarkets, educational facilities and care homes is made more difficult. The area often sees vandalism and loitering, with instances of rubbish being dumped over the wall and related issues. “You try to have a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one local, gesturing towards the rusted metal wall. Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Hardship Within a local community centre, staff emphasise that need transcends addresses. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” explained director Tracey Good. Regardless of being placed in the lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate retains a fierce loyalty and sense of community among its inhabitants. By contrast, Scartho is classified among the least deprived 10% nationally. A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford This phenomenon is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in England. It is immediately adjacent by spacious detached homes built in the 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and living environment. “They might have bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” said Phil Hockley, aged 63. “It’s likely a lot of people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.” The economic gap is clear: an typical three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide equivalent properties fetch about £410,000. Locals speak of a palpable sense of being overlooked. “This part of the community gets ignored,” said holistic health worker Susan. “Over here our facilities have slowly been taken away, and the majority of the issues we face here are related to poverty.” The increase in these ‘inequality borders’ paints a picture of an increasingly divided society, where wealth and need are often awkwardly in close proximity.