Family lawyers’ group Resolution has renewed its call for reform of the law on cohabitation.
Official National Statistics (ONS) released this week show cohabiting couples represent nearly 10% of the population. People who were “cohabiting: never married or civil partnered” represented 6.8% of the population in 2002. This had increased to to 9.5% by 2015, and has now risen further.
Graeme Fraser, Resolution’s spokesman on cohabitation law, says: “Under current cohabitation law it’s possible to live with someone for decades and even to have children together and then simply walk away without taking any responsibility for a former partner when the relationship breaks down.
“This can have a huge impact on women and children, particularly in cases where a mother has given up or reduced her work to raise a family. As family lawyers who see the damage caused by the lack of protection for cohabiting couples when they separate, Resolution calls for the urgent introduction of safety net legislation providing legal protection and fair outcomes at the time of a couple's separation, particularly for children and mothers left vulnerable under the existing law.”
Last year, Resolution published a Manifesto for Family Law.
.tmb-mov69x69.jpg?sfvrsn=6e6975ed_1)
