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

In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, residents live in properties only a few metres from their more affluent counterparts in nearby Scartho village. One 1.8-metre-high barricade literally divides the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off roads and walkways that once connected them.

“This is the posh-poor divide,” said Serenity Colley, 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 associate with us.”

A Stark Pattern Across the Country

Analysis of official statistics reveals the extent of inequality often exists, sometimes across little more than a few metres of asphalt, a hedge row or a barrier. Years of austerity and lack of funding have led to a situation where a majority of local authorities now have a neighbourhood ranking as one of the poorest in the nation.

This spread of poverty has coincided with a sharp increase in the quantity of places where disadvantaged and affluent residents find themselves living side by side. Just a few years ago, just 65 of the poorest areas adjoined one of the least deprived. This number increased to 119 in the latest data.

A Barrier Which Divides More Than Space

At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the biggest in the UK and painfully obvious. The barrier transcends being just a metaphorical divide; it creates tangible problems for daily routines.

• School runs that should take 15-20 minutes become an sixty-minute detour.
• Access to important services like supermarkets, educational facilities and employment centres is made more difficult.
• The site can attract antisocial behaviour, with instances of rubbish being thrown over the wall and other issues.

“You try to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one resident, motioning at the corroded barricade.

Community Spirit Amidst Challenges

Within Centre4, workers stress that need transcends addresses. “Where you live is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” said chief executive a community leader.

Regardless of being placed in the lowest 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, the estate retains a strong sense and feeling of togetherness among its residents. Meanwhile, the neighbouring area ranks among the most prosperous 10% nationally.

A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford

This pattern is repeated across the country. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in the country. It is closely bordered by spacious detached homes built in the 2000s that are in the wealthiest tenth for employment and quality of surroundings.

“They may possess bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger 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 financial divide is evident: an average three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide equivalent properties go for about £410,000.

Residents describe a palpable feeling of being overlooked. “This part of the community is neglected,” said holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our facilities have slowly been taken away, and the majority of the issues we face here are to do with poverty.”

The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a picture of an ever more segregated society, where prosperity and need are often awkwardly in close proximity.