A Rising ‘Wealth-Poverty Gap’: How Affluence and Deprivation Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in Across England.

Within a postwar estate known as ‘The Nunny’, inhabitants occupy homes just a few metres from their more affluent counterparts in nearby Scartho. One six-foot-tall wall literally separates the two areas in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, sealing off roads and walkways that once linked them.

“This is the divide between rich and poor,” said a resident, 37. “It’s been like this for as long as I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll bring it down because I suspect they’ll want to associate with us.”

An Increasingly Common National Picture

Analysis of official figures shows how deep inequality can run, sometimes over nothing more than a short distance of asphalt, a line of hedges or a barrier. Years of austerity and underinvestment have led to a situation where a majority of councils now contain a locality classified as one of the poorest in the country.

The spread of deprivation has led to a significant increase in the number of locations where disadvantaged and affluent residents find themselves living side by side. Just a few years ago, only 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods adjoined one of the wealthiest. That figure increased to 119 in the most recent data.

A Barrier Which Does More Than Separate Space

In Grimsby, the gap is the most pronounced in the country and painfully obvious. The wall transcends being just a metaphorical divide; it creates very real difficulties for everyday life.

• The school commute that ought to take a quarter of an hour turn into an hour-long journey.
• Access to important services like supermarkets, schools and employment centres is made more difficult.
• The area can attract vandalism and loitering, with reports of litter being dumped over the wall and related problems.

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

Community Spirit Against a Backdrop of Hardship

At Centre4, staff stress that need does not recognise addresses. “Where you live doesn’t necessarily indicate your level of challenge,” said chief executive Tracey Good.

Regardless of ranking in the most deprived 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe boasts a fierce loyalty and feeling of community among its residents. Meanwhile, Scartho ranks among the least deprived 10% overall.

A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford

This phenomenon is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a mid-century housing development, is in the most disadvantaged tenth of neighbourhoods in England. It is closely bordered by spacious houses built in the 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for employment and quality of surroundings.

“They might have larger properties, but here there’s more community,” said a long-term resident, aged 63. “It’s likely a lot of people over there never even talk to each other.”

The financial gap is evident: an average family home costs about £275,000 on the estate, while across the divide comparable properties go for about £410,000.

Residents speak of a tangible feeling of being overlooked. “This part of the community gets ignored,” said resident Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our facilities have gradually disappeared, and most of the issues we face here are to do with poverty.”

The rise in these ‘inequality borders’ paints a picture of an ever more segregated England, where prosperity and deprivation are frequently uncomfortably in close proximity.