Postcode lottery affects life chances as class gap widens

BRITISH society is becoming more segregated by class, a survey suggested today.

The BBC reports that a team from Sheffield University found that where you live can limit or assist your life chances. from the cradle to the grave.

It found that an average child in the wealthiest ten per cent of neighbourhoods could expect to inherit 40 times as much wealth as a typical child in the poorest ten per cent. In some areas, it suggested, 16-to-24-year-olds were 50 times more likely to attend a top university than in others.

The team looked at more than 1000 neighbourhoods across Britain using data on subjects such as health, education and housing.

Report author Dr Bethan Thomas said: "Our conclusion is that Britain is becoming increasingly segregated across all ages by class, education, occupation, home ownership, health status, disability and family type."

The study's findings are published on Monday in Identity in Britain: A cradle-to-grave atlas.

The findings follow a report this summer by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation warning the gap between rich and poor in the UK is as wide as it has been for 40 years.