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

Within Nunsthorpe, residents live in properties only several yards from their more affluent neighbours in nearby Scartho. One six-foot-tall barricade physically separates the two communities in the town of Grimsby, sealing off paths and streets that once linked them.

“This is the posh-poor divide,” said Serenity Colley, 37. “It has been there since I’ve known. I doubt they’ll bring it down because I don’t think they’ll want to mix with us.”

An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country

Analysis of official statistics shows the extent of inequality often exists, at times over little more than a few metres of asphalt, a line of hedges or a barrier. Decades of budget cuts and lack of funding mean a majority of local authorities now contain a neighbourhood ranking as one of the poorest in the nation.

This spread of poverty has led to a significant increase in the number of places where deprived and affluent residents find themselves living side by side. In 2019, just 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods bordered one of the wealthiest. That figure rose to 119 in the most recent data.

A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Space

At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the most pronounced in the country and painfully apparent. The barrier transcends being just a metaphorical division; it causes tangible difficulties for daily routines.

• The school commute that should take a quarter of an hour become an hour-long detour.
• Access to important amenities like supermarkets, schools and employment centres is hindered.
• The site can attract antisocial behaviour, with instances of rubbish being dumped over the wall and related problems.

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

Local Bonds Amidst Hardship

At Centre4, workers emphasise that support does not recognise addresses. “Where you live is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” explained chief executive a community leader.

Regardless of being placed in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate retains a fierce loyalty and feeling of community among its residents. By contrast, Scartho is classified among the least deprived 10% nationally.

A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford

This pattern is repeated nationally. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a mid-century housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in the country. It is immediately adjacent by spacious houses built in the early 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and living environment.

“They may possess bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” said a long-term resident, 63. “You’ll probably find many people over there never even talk to each other.”

The economic divide is clear: an average three-bedroom house costs about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide comparable homes go for about £410,000.

Locals speak of a tangible sense of neglect. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” stated resident Susan. “Over here our facilities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the community problems here are to do with poverty.”

The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a portrait of an increasingly divided England, where prosperity and deprivation are often uncomfortably in close proximity.