A Rising ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: The Way Affluence and Deprivation Now Sit Side by Side in Across England.

In Nunsthorpe, inhabitants live in homes just a few metres from their more affluent counterparts in nearby Scartho. A 1.8-metre-high barricade physically divides the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off roads and walkways that once connected them.

“It’s the posh-poor divide,” said Serenity Colley, aged 37. “It has been there since I’ve known. I doubt they’ll take it down because I don’t think they’ll want to mix with us.”

A Stark Pattern Across the Country

Analysis of government figures reveals how deep inequality often exists, sometimes over nothing more than a short distance of asphalt, a hedge row or a barrier. Years of budget cuts and lack of funding have led to a situation where a majority of local authorities now have a locality classified as one of the most deprived in the nation.

This geographical widening of poverty has led to a sharp rise in the number of places where deprived and affluent people end up 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 Wall That Divides More Than Space

In Grimsby, the divide is the most pronounced in the UK and starkly obvious. The wall transcends being just a metaphorical divide; it causes tangible difficulties for daily routines.

• School runs that should take 15-20 minutes become an hour-long journey.
• Reaching key services like grocery stores, schools and employment centres is hindered.
• The site often sees vandalism and loitering, with reports of litter being dumped over the wall and other issues.

“People strive to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one resident, motioning at the corroded barricade.

Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Hardship

Within a local community centre, workers stress that support does not recognise postcodes. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” explained director Tracey Good.

Regardless of being placed in the lowest 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, the estate retains a strong sense and feeling of community among its inhabitants. By contrast, the neighbouring area is classified among the most prosperous 10% nationally.

A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford

This pattern is mirrored nationally. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of neighbourhoods in the country. It is closely bordered by large detached homes built in the early 2000s that are in the top 10% for job prospects and living environment.

“They might have bigger houses, but here there’s more community,” commented Phil Hockley, aged 63. “It’s likely many people over there never even talk to each other.”

The financial divide is evident: an typical family home costs about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide comparable homes go for about £410,000.

Residents speak of a palpable feeling of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” said resident Susan. “Over here our facilities have slowly been taken away, and most of the community problems here are to do with financial hardship.”

The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a picture of an increasingly divided society, where wealth and deprivation are often uncomfortably in close proximity.