🔗 Share this article A Growing ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: The Way Affluence and Deprivation Are Found Side by Side in England. Within Nunsthorpe, inhabitants occupy properties just several yards from their wealthier neighbours in nearby Scartho. A six-foot-tall wall literally separates the two communities in the town of Grimsby, blocking off paths and streets that previously connected them. “It’s the divide between rich and poor,” said Serenity Colley, 37. “It has been there since 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 Pattern Across the Country Data from official figures shows the extent of inequality can run, sometimes over nothing more than a few metres of tarmac, a line of hedges or a wall. Years of budget cuts and lack of funding mean almost two-thirds of councils now have a neighbourhood ranking as one of the most deprived in the country. The spread of deprivation has led to a significant rise in the number of locations where deprived and affluent people find themselves as immediate neighbours. In 2019, only 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods adjoined one of the wealthiest. That figure increased to 119 in the most recent data. A Barrier Which Divides More Than Space In Grimsby, the divide is the biggest in the country and starkly obvious. The barrier is much more than a symbolic divide; it causes very real difficulties for everyday life. School runs that ought to take 15-20 minutes turn into an sixty-minute journey. Reaching key services like supermarkets, educational facilities and employment centres is hindered. The site often sees antisocial behaviour, with reports of litter being thrown over the wall and other issues. “You try to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one local, gesturing towards the corroded metal wall. Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Challenges Within Centre4, workers stress that need does not recognise postcodes. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” explained director a community leader. Regardless of being placed in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe boasts a fierce loyalty and sense of togetherness among its inhabitants. By contrast, the neighbouring area ranks among the most prosperous 10% overall. A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford This pattern is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in the country. It is immediately adjacent by spacious houses built in the early 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for employment and living environment. “They may possess larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” commented Phil Hockley, 63. “You’ll probably find many people over there don’t even speak to each other.” The economic gap is evident: an average three-bedroom house costs about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide comparable properties go for about £410,000. Residents speak of a palpable sense of neglect. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” stated holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our amenities have gradually disappeared, and most of the issues we face here are related to financial hardship.” The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a portrait of an increasingly divided society, where prosperity and deprivation are frequently uncomfortably in close proximity.
Within Nunsthorpe, inhabitants occupy properties just several yards from their wealthier neighbours in nearby Scartho. A six-foot-tall wall literally separates the two communities in the town of Grimsby, blocking off paths and streets that previously connected them. “It’s the divide between rich and poor,” said Serenity Colley, 37. “It has been there since 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 Pattern Across the Country Data from official figures shows the extent of inequality can run, sometimes over nothing more than a few metres of tarmac, a line of hedges or a wall. Years of budget cuts and lack of funding mean almost two-thirds of councils now have a neighbourhood ranking as one of the most deprived in the country. The spread of deprivation has led to a significant rise in the number of locations where deprived and affluent people find themselves as immediate neighbours. In 2019, only 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods adjoined one of the wealthiest. That figure increased to 119 in the most recent data. A Barrier Which Divides More Than Space In Grimsby, the divide is the biggest in the country and starkly obvious. The barrier is much more than a symbolic divide; it causes very real difficulties for everyday life. School runs that ought to take 15-20 minutes turn into an sixty-minute journey. Reaching key services like supermarkets, educational facilities and employment centres is hindered. The site often sees antisocial behaviour, with reports of litter being thrown over the wall and other issues. “You try to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one local, gesturing towards the corroded metal wall. Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Challenges Within Centre4, workers stress that need does not recognise postcodes. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” explained director a community leader. Regardless of being placed in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe boasts a fierce loyalty and sense of togetherness among its inhabitants. By contrast, the neighbouring area ranks among the most prosperous 10% overall. A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford This pattern is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in the country. It is immediately adjacent by spacious houses built in the early 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for employment and living environment. “They may possess larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” commented Phil Hockley, 63. “You’ll probably find many people over there don’t even speak to each other.” The economic gap is evident: an average three-bedroom house costs about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide comparable properties go for about £410,000. Residents speak of a palpable sense of neglect. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” stated holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our amenities have gradually disappeared, and most of the issues we face here are related to financial hardship.” The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a portrait of an increasingly divided society, where prosperity and deprivation are frequently uncomfortably in close proximity.