🔗 Share this article The Growing ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: The Way Affluence and Hardship Are Found Cheek by Jowl in England. In Nunsthorpe, residents occupy properties just a few metres from their wealthier counterparts in nearby Scartho. One six-foot-tall barricade physically separates the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off roads and walkways that once linked them. “This is the posh-poor divide,” remarked a resident, aged 37. “It has been there since I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll bring it down because I don’t think they’ll want to mix with us.” A Stark Pattern Across the Country Analysis of government figures shows the extent of disparity can run, at times across little more than a short distance of tarmac, a hedge row or a barrier. Years of austerity and lack of funding have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of councils now have a neighbourhood ranking as one of the poorest in the country. The geographical widening of deprivation has led to a significant increase in the number of locations where disadvantaged and affluent people end up living side by side. In 2019, just 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods bordered one of the wealthiest. This number increased to 119 in the most recent data. A Wall That Does More Than Separate Land At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the biggest in the UK and starkly apparent. The barrier transcends being just a metaphorical division; it causes tangible difficulties for everyday life. School runs that ought to take a quarter of an hour become an hour-long detour. Reaching key services like supermarkets, schools and care homes is made more difficult. The area often sees vandalism and loitering, with instances of litter being dumped over the wall and other problems. “People strive to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one local, gesturing towards the rusted metal wall. Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Hardship At Centre4, workers stress that need does not recognise addresses. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” said director a community leader. Regardless of being placed in the lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate retains a fierce loyalty and sense of togetherness among its residents. By contrast, the neighbouring area ranks among the least deprived 10% nationally. Echoes Elsewhere: Stanhope in Ashford This pattern is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope area in Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in England. It is immediately adjacent by spacious detached homes built in the 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and living environment. “They might have larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” said a long-term resident, 63. “It’s likely a lot of people in the new builds never even talk to each other.” The economic divide is clear: an typical three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide comparable properties fetch about £410,000. Residents speak of a palpable sense of being overlooked. “This part of the community gets ignored,” stated holistic health worker Susan. “In this area our facilities have gradually disappeared, and most of the issues we face here are related to financial hardship.” The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a picture of an ever more divided society, where prosperity and need are often awkwardly in close proximity.
In Nunsthorpe, residents occupy properties just a few metres from their wealthier counterparts in nearby Scartho. One six-foot-tall barricade physically separates the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off roads and walkways that once linked them. “This is the posh-poor divide,” remarked a resident, aged 37. “It has been there since I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll bring it down because I don’t think they’ll want to mix with us.” A Stark Pattern Across the Country Analysis of government figures shows the extent of disparity can run, at times across little more than a short distance of tarmac, a hedge row or a barrier. Years of austerity and lack of funding have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of councils now have a neighbourhood ranking as one of the poorest in the country. The geographical widening of deprivation has led to a significant increase in the number of locations where disadvantaged and affluent people end up living side by side. In 2019, just 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods bordered one of the wealthiest. This number increased to 119 in the most recent data. A Wall That Does More Than Separate Land At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the biggest in the UK and starkly apparent. The barrier transcends being just a metaphorical division; it causes tangible difficulties for everyday life. School runs that ought to take a quarter of an hour become an hour-long detour. Reaching key services like supermarkets, schools and care homes is made more difficult. The area often sees vandalism and loitering, with instances of litter being dumped over the wall and other problems. “People strive to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one local, gesturing towards the rusted metal wall. Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Hardship At Centre4, workers stress that need does not recognise addresses. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” said director a community leader. Regardless of being placed in the lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate retains a fierce loyalty and sense of togetherness among its residents. By contrast, the neighbouring area ranks among the least deprived 10% nationally. Echoes Elsewhere: Stanhope in Ashford This pattern is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope area in Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of areas in England. It is immediately adjacent by spacious detached homes built in the 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for job prospects and living environment. “They might have larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” said a long-term resident, 63. “It’s likely a lot of people in the new builds never even talk to each other.” The economic divide is clear: an typical three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide comparable properties fetch about £410,000. Residents speak of a palpable sense of being overlooked. “This part of the community gets ignored,” stated holistic health worker Susan. “In this area our facilities have gradually disappeared, and most of the issues we face here are related to financial hardship.” The increase in these ‘deprivation divides’ presents a picture of an ever more divided society, where prosperity and need are often awkwardly in close proximity.