Figures have been released recently by the Office for National Statistics which show provisional marriage rates for 2008 represent the lowest numbers since 1862!
For every 1,000 single men age 16 or over, figures show just 21.8 married in 2008; a reduction from 31.1 in 1998.
This has prompted lobbying groups to call for more legal rights for unmarried couples echoing the rights that could be granted by the new “Cohabitation Act” (a Bill which is slowly progressing through the House of Lords).
This Act, if passed, proposes new intestacy laws giving more rights to Cohabitants.
Many people do not understand that living together does not give them any financial protection if their partner dies and this currently leaves countless people vulnerable to unnecessary and frequently unintended financial hardship.
A word of warning though – legislation is likely to be a long way off.
All cohabitants should review their situation and make a simple Will to provide for their partner in the event of their death or conversely protect their estate for the beneficiaries they want to inherit rather than wait for the law to be changed.
