A Growing ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: The Way Affluence and Deprivation Are Found Cheek by Jowl in England.
In a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants live in homes only several yards from their more affluent neighbours in nearby Scartho village. One 1.8-metre-high barricade physically divides the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off paths and streets that previously connected them.
“It’s the divide between rich and poor,” said a resident, aged 37. “It’s been like this since 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 government figures shows the extent of inequality can run, sometimes over little more than a short distance of tarmac, a hedge row or a wall. Years of budget cuts and underinvestment mean a majority of local authorities now contain a locality ranking as one of the most deprived in the country.
The spread of deprivation has coincided with a sharp increase in the number of locations where disadvantaged and affluent people end up living side by side. In 2019, just 65 of the most deprived areas bordered one of the least deprived. This number increased to 119 in the most recent data.
A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Space
In Grimsby, the divide is the most pronounced in the country and painfully obvious. The barrier is much more than a metaphorical divide; it causes very real difficulties for everyday life.
- The school commute that ought to take 15-20 minutes turn into an sixty-minute detour.
- Access to important services like supermarkets, educational facilities and employment centres is hindered.
- The area can attract antisocial behaviour, with instances of rubbish being thrown over the wall and related problems.
“People strive to have a nice house and nice garden, and then you live opposite that,” noted one resident, gesturing towards the corroded metal wall.
Local Bonds Amidst Challenges
Within Centre4, workers emphasise that support transcends addresses. “Where you live is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” explained director a community leader.
Regardless of being placed in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, Nunsthorpe retains a strong sense and sense of community among its residents. Meanwhile, Scartho ranks among the most prosperous 10% overall.
Echoes Elsewhere: An Estate in Kent
This phenomenon is repeated across the country. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of neighbourhoods in the country. It is immediately adjacent by spacious detached homes built in the early 2000s that are in the top 10% for job prospects and living environment.
“They might have larger properties, but here there’s more community,” said Phil Hockley, 63. “It’s likely many people in the new builds never even talk to each other.”
The economic divide is clear: an typical family home sells for about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while across the divide comparable homes fetch about £410,000.
Locals speak of a tangible feeling of neglect. “This part of the community gets ignored,” stated holistic health worker Susan. “In this area our amenities have slowly been taken away, and the majority of the community problems here are related to poverty.”
The increase in these ‘inequality borders’ presents a picture of an ever more segregated society, where prosperity and deprivation are often uncomfortably in close proximity.
