Dozens of couples in North Somerset have entered opposite-sex civil partnerships since they first became eligible to do so in 2019, a study shows.
Office for National Statistics figures show 16 opposite-sex couples in North Somerset formed civil partnerships in 2021, alongside 33 in 2020 and one on New Years' Eve 2019.
In June 2018, the Supreme Court ruled that only allowing same-sex couples into civil partnerships was incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights.
Martin Loat, of the Equal Civil Partnerships campaign group, said: "Nearly 6,000 couples formed a mixed-sex civil partnership in 2021. That's a lot of people – and families – who are now in a secure relationship, legally and financially, who obviously wanted an alternative to marriage."
Despite this, Rich Pereira, deputy director of demography at the ONS, said: "In 2021, the majority of civil partnerships continued to be between opposite-sex couples, following their introduction in late 2019."
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