A Rising ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Prosperity and Hardship Are Found Cheek by Jowl in England.

Within a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, residents occupy homes just several yards from their more affluent neighbours in the adjacent Scartho village. A six-foot-tall barricade physically divides the two communities in the town of Grimsby, sealing off roads and walkways that once connected them.

“This is the posh-poor divide,” remarked Serenity Colley, aged 37. “It has been there for as long as I’ve known. I don’t think 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 government statistics reveals how deep inequality often exists, at times across little more than a few metres of tarmac, a hedge row or a wall. Decades of austerity and lack of funding mean a majority of local authorities now have a locality ranking as one of the most deprived in the country.

The geographical widening of deprivation has led to a significant increase in the quantity of places where deprived and well-off people end up living side by side. In 2019, only 65 of the most deprived areas bordered one of the least deprived. That figure rose to 119 in the latest data.

A Wall That Does More Than Separate Space

At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the biggest in the country and painfully apparent. The wall is much more than a metaphorical divide; it creates tangible difficulties for daily routines.

• School runs that ought to take 15-20 minutes become an hour-long journey.
• Reaching important amenities like grocery stores, schools and employment centres is made more difficult.
• The site often sees antisocial behaviour, with instances of rubbish being thrown over the wall and related problems.

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

Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Challenges

At a local community centre, staff stress that support transcends addresses. “Where you live is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” explained director Tracey Good.

Regardless of ranking in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate retains a strong sense and feeling of community among its inhabitants. By contrast, Scartho ranks among the most prosperous 10% overall.

A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford

This phenomenon is repeated nationally. The Stanhope area in Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in England. It is immediately adjacent by spacious houses built in the early 2000s that sit in the top 10% for job prospects and living environment.

“They might have bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” commented a long-term resident, 63. “It’s likely a lot of people over there don’t even speak to each other.”

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

Locals describe a tangible sense of being overlooked. “Our neighbourhood gets ignored,” said holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our amenities have gradually disappeared, and most of the community problems here are to do with financial hardship.”

The increase in these ‘inequality borders’ presents a picture of an increasingly segregated society, where prosperity and deprivation are frequently uncomfortably in close proximity.