The Rising ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: The Way Affluence and Deprivation Now Sit Side by Side in Across England.

In Nunsthorpe, inhabitants occupy properties just a few metres from their wealthier counterparts in nearby Scartho. One 1.8-metre-high barricade literally divides the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off paths and streets that once connected them.

“It’s the divide between rich and poor,” said a resident, aged 37. “It has been there since I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll take it down because I suspect they’ll want to mix with us.”

An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country

Analysis of government statistics reveals the extent of inequality often exists, sometimes across nothing more than a short distance of asphalt, a hedge row or a wall. Years of austerity and lack of funding mean a majority of local authorities now have a neighbourhood ranking as one of the poorest in the nation.

The spread of deprivation has led to a sharp increase in the quantity of places where deprived and affluent people find themselves living side by side. Just a few years ago, only 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods bordered one of the wealthiest. This number rose to 119 in the most recent data.

A Barrier Which Divides More Than Space

In Grimsby, the gap is the biggest in the country and starkly obvious. The barrier is much more than a metaphorical division; it creates very real problems for everyday life.

• The school commute that should take 15-20 minutes become an sixty-minute journey.
• Reaching important amenities like grocery stores, schools and employment centres is made more difficult.
• The site can attract vandalism and loitering, with reports of rubbish being dumped over the wall and related issues.

“People strive to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one resident, gesturing towards the rusted metal wall.

Community Spirit Against a Backdrop of Hardship

Within Centre4, workers emphasise that support transcends postcodes. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” said chief executive a community leader.

Despite ranking in the lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe boasts a strong sense and sense of community among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, Scartho ranks among the least deprived 10% overall.

Echoes Elsewhere: An Estate in Kent

This phenomenon is mirrored nationally. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in the country. It is immediately adjacent by spacious houses built in the 2000s that are in the top 10% for job prospects and quality of surroundings.

“They may possess bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” said a long-term resident, 63. “It’s likely many people over there don’t even speak to each other.”

The financial divide is evident: an average family home sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while on the other side equivalent properties fetch about £410,000.

Residents speak of a tangible sense 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 issues we face here are to do with poverty.”

The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a portrait of an increasingly segregated society, where prosperity and deprivation are often awkwardly in close proximity.