The Rising ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Prosperity and Hardship Now Sit Side by Side in Across England.

Within a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants occupy homes only a few metres from their wealthier neighbours in nearby Scartho. One 1.8-metre-high wall physically divides the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off paths and streets that once linked them.

“It’s the posh-poor divide,” remarked Serenity Colley, aged 37. “It’s been like this for as long as I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll take it down because I suspect they’ll want to associate with us.”

A Stark National Picture

Analysis of official figures shows how deep inequality can run, at times over nothing more than a few metres of tarmac, a line of hedges or a barrier. Years of budget cuts and lack of funding have led to a situation where a majority of local authorities now have a locality classified as one of the most deprived in the nation.

The spread of deprivation has coincided with a sharp increase in the number of locations where deprived and affluent residents end up as immediate neighbours. In 2019, just 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods bordered one of the least deprived. That figure rose to 119 in the latest data.

A Barrier Which Divides More Than Space

At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the biggest in the country and painfully obvious. The wall is much more than a metaphorical division; it creates tangible 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 employment centres is hindered.
• The site can attract antisocial behaviour, with instances of litter being dumped over the wall and other issues.

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

Community Spirit Amidst Hardship

At Centre4, staff emphasise that support transcends addresses. “Where you live is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” explained chief executive Tracey Good.

Regardless of being placed in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe boasts a fierce loyalty and feeling of togetherness among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, the neighbouring area ranks among the least deprived 10% nationally.

A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford

This pattern is repeated across the country. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of neighbourhoods in England. It is immediately adjacent by large detached homes built in the early 2000s that are in the top 10% for job prospects and quality of surroundings.

“They might have larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” said Phil Hockley, 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people over there never even talk to each other.”

The economic divide is clear: an typical three-bedroom house costs about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while on the other side equivalent properties go for about £410,000.

Locals describe a palpable sense of neglect. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” stated resident Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our amenities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the community problems here are to do with poverty.”

The rise in these ‘inequality borders’ presents a portrait of an ever more segregated society, where wealth and deprivation are often awkwardly in close proximity.