A Rising ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: The Way Prosperity and Hardship Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in England.

In Nunsthorpe, residents occupy homes just several yards from their wealthier neighbours in the adjacent Scartho village. One 1.8-metre-high barricade literally divides the two communities in the town of Grimsby, blocking off paths and streets that once linked them.

“It’s the divide between rich and poor,” remarked a resident, 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

Data from government figures reveals the extent of disparity can run, at times across little more than a short distance of asphalt, a line of hedges or a barrier. Years of budget cuts and lack of funding have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of local authorities now contain a locality ranking as one of the poorest in the country.

This spread of deprivation has led to a significant increase in the number of locations where deprived and well-off people end up as immediate neighbours. In 2019, just 65 of the most deprived neighbourhoods adjoined one of the wealthiest. This number increased to 119 in the most recent data.

A Wall That Divides More Than Space

In Grimsby, the gap is the biggest in the country and painfully apparent. The barrier is much more than a symbolic divide; it causes very real difficulties for everyday life.

• The school commute that ought to take 15-20 minutes turn into an hour-long journey.
• Access to important services like supermarkets, educational facilities and care homes is made more difficult.
• The site often sees antisocial behaviour, with reports of rubbish being thrown over the wall and other issues.

“You try to maintain a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one local, motioning at the corroded barricade.

Community Spirit Against a Backdrop of Hardship

Within a local community centre, workers stress that support transcends postcodes. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” said director Tracey Good.

Despite being placed in the lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate boasts a strong sense and feeling of community among its inhabitants. By contrast, the neighbouring area ranks among the most prosperous 10% nationally.

Echoes Elsewhere: Stanhope in Ashford

This phenomenon is mirrored nationally. The Stanhope estate in Ashford, Kent, a mid-century housing development, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in the country. It is immediately adjacent by spacious detached homes built in the 2000s that are in the top 10% for employment and quality of surroundings.

“They might have larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” said a long-term resident, aged 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people in the new builds don’t even speak to each other.”

The financial gap is evident: an typical family home costs about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while on the other side equivalent homes fetch about £410,000.

Locals speak of a tangible feeling of being overlooked. “This part of the community is neglected,” said resident Susan Riley-Nevers. “Over here our facilities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the issues we face here are related to poverty.”

The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a picture of an increasingly divided England, where prosperity and deprivation are frequently awkwardly close neighbours.