In Nunsthorpe, residents occupy properties just several yards from their wealthier counterparts in the adjacent Scartho village. One six-foot-tall barricade physically divides the two communities in the town of Grimsby, blocking off paths and streets that previously connected them.
“This is the divide between rich and poor,” said Serenity Colley, aged 37. “It’s been like this for as long as I’ve known. I don’t think they’ll take it down because I suspect they’ll want to mix with us.”
Data from official figures shows the extent of disparity often exists, at times across little more than a short distance of tarmac, a line of hedges or a barrier. Decades of austerity and lack of funding mean almost two-thirds of local authorities now have a neighbourhood ranking as one of the most deprived in the nation.
This geographical widening of deprivation has coincided with a sharp rise in the number of places where disadvantaged and well-off residents find themselves living side by side. Just a few years ago, just 65 of the poorest areas bordered one of the wealthiest. That figure rose to 119 in the latest data.
At this Lincolnshire site, the gap is the most pronounced in the country and painfully obvious. The barrier transcends being just a symbolic divide; it creates tangible difficulties for daily routines.
“You try to maintain a well-kept home and garden, and then you live opposite that,” said one resident, motioning at the corroded metal wall.
Within Centre4, staff emphasise that need does not recognise postcodes. “Your postcode is not a reliable indicator of your personal struggles,” explained chief executive Tracey Good.
Regardless of ranking in the most deprived 10% for multiple deprivation indicators, the estate boasts a fierce loyalty and sense of togetherness among its inhabitants. Meanwhile, Scartho is classified among the least deprived 10% overall.
This pattern is mirrored across the country. The Stanhope area in Kent, a mid-century overspill estate, is in the 10% most deprived of areas in the country. It is immediately adjacent by spacious houses built in the early 2000s that are in the top 10% for employment and living environment.
“They may possess bigger houses, but here there’s more community,” said a long-term resident, aged 63. “You’ll probably find a lot of people in the new builds never even talk to each other.”
The financial divide is clear: an average three-bedroom house sells for about £275,000 on the estate, while on the other side equivalent properties go for about £410,000.
Residents speak of a palpable feeling of neglect. “Our neighbourhood is neglected,” stated holistic health worker Susan Riley-Nevers. “In this area our facilities have gradually disappeared, and the majority of the issues we face here are to do with poverty.”
The rise in these ‘deprivation divides’ paints a portrait of an increasingly segregated society, where wealth and need are frequently awkwardly in close proximity.
A ceramic artist specializing in sustainable pottery, blending traditional techniques with contemporary aesthetics to create functional art.
