Three million ‘make divorce plans’

More than three million married Britons have made plans to divorce their spouse before deciding against it at the last minute, according to new research. Resolution, an organisation for lawyers involved in mediation between separating couples, polled the responses of more than 2,000 people to gauge the attitudes towards family breakdown in the UK and found most people in modern day Britain have a close relative who has gone through a divorce. Some 13% of married people were also shown to have “seriously considered” divorce proceedings against their husband or wife but backed out after a last-minute change of heart. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) estimates that there are around 24 million married people in Britain, and that the number of divorces in England and Wales increased by 5% to almost 120,000 last year. Around four in five married couples said they would put their children ahead of other issues such as money or becoming embroiled in an asset struggle if they were to separate, while an increasing amount of people believe that divorce cannot be resolved without some form of conflict.

IBB’s family law department commented: “Given the present financial climate, it is not surprising that 13% of people have considered divorce or separation but have decided not to proceed. In particular, difficulties in the housing market, both in selling properties and in obtaining mortgages should a couple separate, have forced couples to rethink their plans for divorce or separation. “People also often fear that the divorce process will be costly and acrimonious.

This need not be the case. Divorce lawyers who are members of Resolution, formerly the Solicitors Family Law Association, aim to resolve disputes with minimal conflict to achieve a fair outcome for both parties. “Mediation will often be recommended to encourage couples to reach agreement between themselves without the need for costly court proceedings. “Divorce or separation is one of the hardest decisions many people will make. In the current financial climate, it is even more important that if they do decide to proceed, matters are dealt with in a calm and dignified way, aiming to keep costs to a minimum.” Our team of divorce lawyers helps families across West London and Bucks. For advice, contact a member of the team: call us on 01494 790000 or email familylaw@ibblaw.co.uk.