The Rising ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: How Affluence and Deprivation Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in England.

In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, residents live in properties just several yards from their more affluent neighbours in the adjacent Scartho. A 1.8-metre-high barricade physically separates the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off paths and streets that once linked them.

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

A Stark Pattern Across the Country

Analysis of official figures shows how deep disparity can run, sometimes across little more than a short distance of asphalt, a hedge row or a barrier. Decades of budget cuts and lack of funding have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of local authorities now have a neighbourhood classified as one of the poorest in the country.

This spread of poverty has led to a significant rise in the quantity of places where disadvantaged and well-off residents find themselves living side by side. In 2019, just 65 of the most deprived areas bordered one of the wealthiest. This number increased to 119 in the latest data.

A Barrier Which Divides More Than Space

At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the most pronounced in the UK and painfully obvious. The barrier is much more than a metaphorical division; it causes very real difficulties for daily routines.

• The school commute that should take a quarter of an hour become an hour-long journey.
• Reaching important services like grocery stores, educational facilities and employment centres is hindered.
• The area can attract antisocial behaviour, with instances of rubbish being dumped over the wall and other problems.

“You try to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one resident, motioning at the corroded metal wall.

Local Bonds Amidst Challenges

Within Centre4, staff stress that support transcends addresses. “Where you live is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” said chief executive Tracey Good.

Despite being placed in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, the estate boasts a strong sense and sense of togetherness among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, the neighbouring area ranks among the least deprived 10% overall.

Echoes Elsewhere: Stanhope in Ashford

This phenomenon is repeated nationally. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a mid-century housing development, is in the 10% most deprived of neighbourhoods in England. It is immediately adjacent by large houses built in the 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for employment and quality of surroundings.

“They might have larger properties, but here there’s more community,” commented Phil Hockley, 63. “It’s likely many people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.”

The financial divide is evident: an average three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide equivalent homes fetch about £410,000.

Residents describe a tangible sense of being overlooked. “This part of the community is neglected,” said resident Susan. “In this area our amenities have slowly been taken away, and the majority of the issues we face here are related to poverty.”

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