The Rising ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: The Way Prosperity and Deprivation Are Found Side by Side in Across England.
In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, residents occupy homes just a few metres from their more affluent neighbours in nearby Scartho village. One six-foot-tall wall literally divides the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off roads and walkways that previously linked them.
“It’s the posh-poor divide,” remarked 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.”
A Stark Pattern Across the Country
Analysis of government figures reveals the extent of disparity can run, at times across nothing more than a few metres of asphalt, a hedge row or a wall. Years of budget cuts and underinvestment have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of councils now have a neighbourhood ranking as one of the poorest in the nation.
This geographical widening of deprivation has led to a sharp rise in the quantity of places where deprived and well-off people end up as immediate neighbours. In 2019, only 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods adjoined one of the wealthiest. This number rose to 119 in the latest data.
A Barrier Which Divides More Than Land
At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the most pronounced in the UK and painfully apparent. The barrier is much more than a symbolic division; it creates very real problems for daily routines.
- School runs that should take a quarter of an hour turn into an hour-long journey.
- Reaching key amenities like supermarkets, educational facilities and employment centres is made more difficult.
- The area often sees antisocial behaviour, with reports of rubbish being dumped over the wall and other issues.
“You try to have a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one local, motioning at the corroded barricade.
Community Spirit Amidst Challenges
At a local community centre, staff emphasise that need does not recognise postcodes. “Where you live is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” explained chief executive Tracey Good.
Regardless of ranking in the lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate retains a strong sense and sense of togetherness among its residents. Meanwhile, Scartho is classified among the most prosperous 10% overall.
A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford
This phenomenon is repeated across the country. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of neighbourhoods in the country. It is immediately adjacent by large detached homes built in the early 2000s that sit in the top 10% for job prospects and quality of surroundings.
“They might have bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” commented Phil Hockley, 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people over there never even talk to each other.”
The economic gap is evident: an average family home sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while on the other side equivalent homes go for about £410,000.
Locals describe a palpable sense of being overlooked. “This part of the community gets ignored,” said holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our amenities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the issues we face here are related to financial hardship.”
The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a picture of an ever more divided society, where wealth and deprivation are often awkwardly in close proximity.
