The Growing ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Affluence and Deprivation Are Found Cheek by Jowl in Across England.

Within a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants live in properties just several yards from their wealthier neighbours in the adjacent Scartho village. One six-foot-tall barricade physically separates the two communities in the town of Grimsby, sealing off paths and streets that once connected them.

“This is the posh-poor divide,” remarked a resident, aged 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 mix with us.”

A Stark Pattern Across the Country

Analysis of government figures shows the extent of inequality often exists, at times across little more than a few metres of asphalt, a line of hedges or a wall. Decades of austerity and underinvestment mean a majority of local authorities now have a locality classified as one of the poorest in the nation.

The spread of deprivation has led to a significant increase 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. This number rose to 119 in the latest data.

A Wall That Divides More Than Space

In Grimsby, the divide is the most pronounced in the country and starkly obvious. The barrier transcends being just a metaphorical divide; it creates very real difficulties for everyday life.

• School runs that ought to take a quarter of an hour turn into an hour-long journey.
• Reaching important services like supermarkets, schools and employment centres is made more difficult.
• The site often sees antisocial behaviour, with reports of rubbish being thrown over the wall and related issues.

“People strive to maintain a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one resident, motioning at the corroded metal wall.

Community Spirit Amidst Challenges

Within Centre4, staff emphasise that support does not recognise addresses. “Where you live is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” explained chief executive a community leader.

Regardless of being placed in the lowest 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, the estate boasts a strong sense and sense of togetherness among its residents. By contrast, Scartho is classified among the least deprived 10% overall.

A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford

This phenomenon is repeated across the country. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in the country. It is closely bordered by large detached homes built in the 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for employment and living environment.

“They might have larger properties, but here there’s more community,” said a long-term resident, 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people in the new builds never even talk to each other.”

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

Residents speak of a palpable feeling of being overlooked. “This part of the community is neglected,” stated holistic health worker Susan. “In this area our facilities have gradually disappeared, 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 ever more divided society, where prosperity and need are often awkwardly in close proximity.