Divorce rate tumbles ... but same-sex splits rocket by 27 per cent
DIVORCE rates in England and Wales fell to their lowest for nearly half a century last year – but the number of same-sex couples splitting has risen.
A total of 90,871 heterosexual couples divorced last year – 10.6 per cent fewer than in 2017 (101,669) and the lowest number since 1971 (74,437), the Office for National Statistics said.
The divorce rate fell from 8.4 to 7.5 per 1,000 married men and women, with marriages ending after 12½ years on average.
Unreasonable behaviour, which can include infidelity, was still the most common reason – cited by 51.9 per cent of wives and 36.8 per cent of husbands.
The ONS report said the drop could partly be because eight per cent more divorce petitions were processed as a backlog from 2017 was dealt with.
But lawyers believed pending “no-fault” legislation and the housing market could be behind the fall. David Leadercramer, a
A COUPLE have been crowned Britain’s happiest after having just one row in 50 years of marriage – over a sofa.
Barry, 71, and Lesley Holmes, 72, have only spent a fortnight apart and declare their love stronger now than ever.
The pair met as teenagers and tied the knot three days after Barry’s 21st birthday in 1969.
They still enjoy road trips, meals out and put their happiness down to a shared sense of humour. Lesley said: “We’re always finishing each other’s sentences and making partner at Osbornes Law, said: “While some people can’t delay getting divorced, many are preferring to wait for the new no-fault law. This is because they would rather avoid making allegations that inevitably create more confrontation.
“In addition we are also seeing more people struggling to get their divorces over the line as their properties are not worth as much as they thought and in the current uncertain market they are struggling to sell their homes.”
Naomi Rainey, a senior solicitor at Hall Brown Family Law firm, said she did not believe processing delays could account each other laugh. I just love him, the excitement I got when I first looked at him is still there.
“People ask, ‘How have you made it work?’ and I always say, ‘How can it not work?’”
The couple, of Fleetwood, Lancs – who have daughters Tracy and Amanda and four grandkids – won the accolade after entering a competition by jeweller Beaverbrooks.
Of their sole row, Lesley said: “We were getting a new sofa – Barry was at work and for “such a significant reduction”. She said: “The fact that divorce is at its lowest since before the last major law reform and that there has been an increase in the average length of marriage indicates a renewed commitment to it.”
The number of divorces among same-sex couples rose by 26.6 per cent, from 338 in 2017 to 428. Of these, 75 per cent were among lesbian couples, a similar proportion to the previous year.
Divorces among same-sex couples have been recorded since marriage laws changed in 2014.
The ONS said: “Divorces among same-sex couples were first recorded in 2015 and annual increases have been seen each year since then, reflecting growth in the size of the same-sex married population in England and Wales.”
The figures, taken from court records, also look at annulments but don’t include civil partnerships or married couples who separate.
‘Many are waiting for new no-fault divorce law’
I went to pick it up, but they didn’t have the colour we wanted. Barry refused to move into a new house with the old second-hand sofa we already had and the next day he went to the store and got a new one.
“We’d lived with his mum before and I think the pressure of the move got to him.”
Barry said: “In all our time together, the longest we’ve been apart is when I did a fortnight long HGV driving course.
“The love is stronger now than it ever was. Proposing was the best decision I ever made.”