A local legal firm claims there has been a dramatic rise in the number of dissolutions of civil partnerships in the past year.

Brighton & Hove, the second most popular place in England for civil partnerships, has recently recorded a decline of up to 18 per cent in civil partnership ceremonies.

This is leading to questions on whether civil partnerships are becoming less popular and whether there is an increasing trend of civil partnerships coming to an end.

The firm, Healy’s, reports a dramatic rise in the number of couples seeking legal advice about civil partnership agreements. When the Civil Partnership Act 2004 became law in December 2005, many local LGBT residents celebrated the fact that they could legally commit to their partners. However, recently released statistics from the Office of National Statistics (ONS), reveals same-sex marriages are down by 18 per cent to 7,169. 

With Brighton & Hove being the most popular place for same-sex marriages outside of London, this has resulted in many local residents seeking legal advice and dissolutions.

These figures come at a time when the divorce rate is at its lowest for 26 years, with 11.9 per 1,000 married couples divorcing.

Catherine Taylor, head of family law at Healy’s, Brighton, said:
“It’s worrying that we are seeing a greater number of clients whose civil partnerships are failing. Many people don’t realise that a civil partner is just like a husband or wife in a traditional marriage – if it fails, they are entitled to an equal share of your assets including any property.

"I would advise any gay or lesbian couples who are thinking seriously about a civil partnership to get legal advice – possibly making a pre-civil-partnership agreement before they make the commitment – so they fully understand the legal and financial implications of the partnership as well as the emotional ones.”