The Rising ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: How Prosperity and Deprivation Are Found Cheek by Jowl in Across England.

In Nunsthorpe, inhabitants live in properties just a few metres from their more affluent neighbours in the adjacent Scartho village. One six-foot-tall barricade physically separates the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off roads and walkways that previously linked them.

“It’s the divide between rich and poor,” remarked Serenity Colley, aged 37. “It has been there since I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll bring it down because I don’t think they’ll want to mix with us.”

A Stark National Picture

Data from government statistics shows how deep inequality often exists, at times over nothing more than a few metres of asphalt, a hedge row or a wall. Years of austerity and lack of funding mean a majority of councils now contain a neighbourhood ranking as one of the most deprived in the country.

The geographical widening of deprivation has led to a sharp increase in the number of places where deprived and well-off residents find themselves as immediate neighbours. In 2019, just 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods adjoined one of the least deprived. That figure increased to 119 in the latest data.

A Barrier Which Divides More Than Land

At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the biggest in the country and starkly apparent. The wall is much more than a metaphorical divide; it creates tangible difficulties for everyday life.

• The school commute that ought to take a quarter of an hour become an hour-long detour.
• Access to key services like grocery stores, educational facilities and care homes is made more difficult.
• The area can attract antisocial behaviour, with instances of litter being dumped over the wall and related problems.

“People strive to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one local, motioning at the rusted metal wall.

Community Spirit Against a Backdrop of Challenges

Within a local community centre, staff emphasise that support transcends postcodes. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” said director a community leader.

Regardless of being placed in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate retains a strong sense and feeling of togetherness among its residents. Meanwhile, Scartho ranks among the most prosperous 10% overall.

Echoes Elsewhere: An Estate in Kent

This phenomenon is repeated across the country. The Stanhope estate in Ashford, Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of neighbourhoods in England. It is immediately adjacent by spacious houses built in the 2000s that are in the top 10% for job prospects and living environment.

“They may possess bigger houses, but here there’s more community,” said Phil Hockley, 63. “It’s likely a lot of people over there don’t even speak to each other.”

The economic gap is evident: an typical three-bedroom house costs about £275,000 on the estate, while on the other side comparable homes fetch about £410,000.

Residents describe a tangible feeling of being overlooked. “This part of the community is neglected,” stated resident Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our amenities have slowly been taken away, and the majority of the issues we face here are to do with financial hardship.”

The increase in these ‘inequality borders’ paints a portrait of an increasingly segregated England, where wealth and deprivation are frequently uncomfortably in close proximity.