The Growing ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: The Way Prosperity and Deprivation Are Found Side by Side in England.

Within a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, residents occupy properties only a few metres from their more affluent neighbours in nearby Scartho. One six-foot-tall wall physically divides the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off paths and streets that previously connected them.

“It’s the divide between rich and poor,” remarked a resident, 37. “It’s been like this since I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll bring it down because I don’t think they’ll want to associate with us.”

A Stark Pattern Across the Country

Data from government statistics shows the extent of inequality can run, at times across nothing more than a short distance of tarmac, a hedge row or a wall. Years of budget cuts and lack of funding have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of councils now contain a neighbourhood classified as one of the poorest in the nation.

This geographical widening 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 most deprived neighbourhoods adjoined one of the wealthiest. That figure rose to 119 in the most recent data.

A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Space

In Grimsby, the gap is the biggest in the UK and painfully apparent. The wall transcends being just a metaphorical division; it creates very real problems for everyday life.

• The school commute that should take a quarter of an hour become an hour-long detour.
• Access to key amenities like grocery stores, educational facilities and care homes is hindered.
• The site can attract antisocial behaviour, with reports of rubbish being thrown over the wall and other problems.

“You try to maintain a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one local, motioning at the corroded barricade.

Community Spirit Amidst Hardship

At Centre4, staff stress that support does not recognise postcodes. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” said director a community leader.

Regardless of ranking in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe retains a strong sense and feeling of togetherness among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, the neighbouring area 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 1960s housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in the country. It is immediately adjacent by large detached homes 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, aged 63. “You’ll probably find many people over there never even talk to each other.”

The financial gap is clear: an typical family home sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide comparable properties go for about £410,000.

Locals describe a tangible feeling of being overlooked. “This part of the community gets ignored,” said holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our facilities have slowly been taken away, and most of the community problems here are related to financial hardship.”

The rise in these ‘inequality borders’ paints a picture of an ever more segregated England, where wealth and deprivation are frequently uncomfortably in close proximity.