The Growing ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: How Affluence and Hardship Are Found Cheek by Jowl in England.
In Nunsthorpe, inhabitants occupy properties only several yards from their more affluent counterparts in the adjacent Scartho village. One six-foot-tall wall physically separates the two communities in the town of Grimsby, sealing off paths and streets that once connected them.
“This is the posh-poor divide,” said a resident, 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 mix with us.”
An Increasingly Common National Picture
Analysis of official statistics shows the extent of disparity often exists, sometimes across nothing more than a few metres of asphalt, a hedge row or a barrier. Years of austerity and underinvestment have led to a situation where almost two-thirds of local authorities now have a locality classified as one of the most deprived in the nation.
This geographical widening of deprivation has led to a significant rise in the quantity of places where deprived and affluent people end up living side by side. Just a few years ago, just 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods bordered one of the least deprived. This number increased to 119 in the latest data.
A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Space
At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the most pronounced in the UK and starkly apparent. The barrier is much more than a metaphorical division; it creates tangible difficulties for everyday life.
- School runs that ought to take 15-20 minutes become an hour-long journey.
- Reaching important amenities like supermarkets, schools and care homes is made more difficult.
- The site can attract vandalism and loitering, with instances of litter being dumped over the wall and other problems.
“People strive to maintain a nice house and nice garden, and then you reside facing that,” noted one resident, motioning at the rusted metal wall.
Community Spirit Amidst Hardship
At a local community centre, staff emphasise that need does not recognise postcodes. “Your postcode doesn’t necessarily indicate your personal struggles,” explained director a community leader.
Regardless of being placed in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, the estate retains a strong sense and feeling of community among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, Scartho is classified among the least deprived 10% overall.
Echoes Elsewhere: Stanhope in Ashford
This phenomenon is repeated nationally. The Stanhope estate in Ashford, Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of neighbourhoods in England. It is immediately adjacent by large detached homes built in the 2000s that are in the top 10% for employment and quality of surroundings.
“They may possess bigger houses, but here there’s more community,” commented Phil Hockley, aged 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people over there never even talk to each other.”
The economic divide is clear: an typical family home sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide comparable homes go for about £410,000.
Locals speak of a tangible feeling of being overlooked. “This part of the community gets ignored,” stated resident Susan. “Over here our amenities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the community problems here are to do with financial hardship.”
The rise in these ‘inequality borders’ paints a picture of an ever more divided society, where wealth and deprivation are frequently awkwardly in close proximity.
