A Rising ‘Posh-Poor Divide’: The Way Affluence and Hardship Now Sit Cheek by Jowl in Across England.

Within Nunsthorpe, residents occupy properties just a few metres from their wealthier neighbours in nearby Scartho. A 1.8-metre-high wall literally separates the two communities in the town of Grimsby, blocking off paths and streets that previously linked them.

“This is the posh-poor divide,” said a resident, aged 37. “It’s been like this since I’ve known. I doubt they’ll bring it down because I suspect they’ll want to associate with us.”

An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country

Data from government figures reveals how deep inequality often exists, sometimes over nothing more than a short distance of asphalt, a hedge row or a wall. Decades of austerity and underinvestment mean almost two-thirds of local authorities now contain a neighbourhood ranking as one of the most deprived in the country.

This geographical widening of deprivation has led to a sharp rise in the number of locations where deprived and well-off people find themselves as immediate neighbours. In 2019, just 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods adjoined one of the least deprived. That figure rose to 119 in the most recent data.

A Wall That Divides More Than Space

At this Lincolnshire site, the divide is the biggest in the UK and starkly apparent. The barrier transcends being just a metaphorical divide; it creates very real problems for daily routines.

• School runs that should take a quarter of an hour turn into an hour-long journey.
• Access to important services like supermarkets, schools and care homes is hindered.
• The area often sees antisocial behaviour, with instances of litter being thrown over the wall and other problems.

“People strive to have a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one local, motioning at the rusted metal wall.

Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Challenges

At Centre4, staff stress that support transcends addresses. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” explained director a community leader.

Regardless of ranking in the lowest 10% for income, employment, education, health and crime, Nunsthorpe boasts a strong sense and feeling of togetherness among its residents. Meanwhile, Scartho is classified among the most prosperous 10% nationally.

A Similar Story: An Estate in Kent

This pattern is repeated across the country. The Stanhope estate in Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of neighbourhoods in the country. It is closely bordered by spacious houses built in the early 2000s that sit in the wealthiest tenth for employment and living environment.

“They might have bigger houses, but here there’s a stronger community,” said Phil Hockley, 63. “It’s likely many people in the new builds never even talk to each other.”

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

Residents describe a tangible sense of neglect. “This part of the community gets ignored,” said resident Susan. “Over here our amenities have slowly been taken away, and most of the community problems here are to do with poverty.”

The increase in these ‘inequality borders’ paints a picture of an ever more segregated England, where prosperity and need are often awkwardly in close proximity.