Divorce Capital of the UK

Lund Bennett Family Law - Cheshire and Manchester

Weston-Super-Mare has gained the accolade as the Divorce Capital of the UK. Although Birmingham topped the polls, the seaside resort saw 2,477 divorce petitions last year, with a population of just 80,000.

Birmingham saw 2,799 divorce petitions in the year up to October 2012, but this is nothing when you compare it to a population of over 1 million people.

One theory for the startling news released by the Ministry of Justice, was the hit that Weston-Super-mare has taken to its tourist industry after the Grand Pier burnt down in 2008. Also factoring is the weather which saw trade fall by 60% for some hotels and restaurants. Perhaps all of this has added to the strain on married couples trying to keep their businesses afloat in such a tough economic climate.

The Ministry of Justice is expected to spend £25m on mediation services this year. Couples seeking a court order for child maintenance, or financial matters are obliged now to attend a mediation session first.

Family Justice Minister, Lord Mcnally said;

“All too often I hear stories of families going through expensive and traumatic court hearings but we know that when working out how to split assets and arrange time with the children, mediation is a far simpler and cheaper approach for everyone and leads to better outcomes.”

To discuss how Lund Bennett can help with mediation please contact us on 0845 548 1007.