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

Within Nunsthorpe, inhabitants occupy homes only a few metres from their more affluent neighbours in nearby Scartho. One 1.8-metre-high barricade literally divides the two communities in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, blocking off paths and streets that once linked them.

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

An Increasingly Common Pattern Across the Country

Analysis of official statistics reveals the extent of disparity can run, at times over little more than a short distance of asphalt, a line of hedges or a barrier. Decades of austerity and underinvestment have led to a situation where a majority of councils now have a neighbourhood ranking as one of the poorest in the nation.

The geographical widening of deprivation has led to a significant increase in the quantity of places where disadvantaged and well-off people find themselves as immediate neighbours. Just a few years ago, just 65 of the poorest neighbourhoods bordered one of the wealthiest. That figure increased to 119 in the latest data.

A Barrier Which Divides More Than Land

In Grimsby, the divide is the most pronounced in the UK and painfully obvious. The barrier is much more than a symbolic divide; it causes very real problems for everyday life.

• School runs that ought to take a quarter of an hour become an hour-long journey.
• Access to important amenities like supermarkets, schools and care homes is made more difficult.
• The area can attract antisocial behaviour, with instances of rubbish being thrown over the wall and related issues.

“You try to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you reside facing that,” said one resident, motioning at the rusted metal wall.

Local Bonds Against a Backdrop of Hardship

Within a local community centre, staff stress that need transcends postcodes. “Where you live is not a reliable indicator of your level of challenge,” explained director Tracey Good.

Regardless of ranking in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, the estate retains a fierce loyalty and sense of community among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, the neighbouring area is classified among the most prosperous 10% nationally.

A Similar Story: Stanhope in Ashford

This pattern is mirrored nationally. The Stanhope area in Ashford, Kent, a 1960s overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in the country. It is closely bordered by spacious houses built in the 2000s that sit in the top 10% for job prospects and living environment.

“They may possess larger properties, but here there’s a stronger community,” said a long-term resident, 63. “You’ll probably find many people over there never even talk to each other.”

The economic divide is evident: an average three-bedroom house costs about £275,000 on the Stanhope estate, while on the other side equivalent homes go for about £410,000.

Locals speak of a tangible feeling of neglect. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” said resident Susan. “In this area our amenities have gradually disappeared, and most of the issues we face here are related to financial hardship.”

The increase in these ‘inequality borders’ presents a portrait of an ever more segregated society, where wealth and need are often uncomfortably close neighbours.