May 4, 2020

Allow Digital Registrations during Lockdown

These are strange and worrying times and the first message I have for you all is the fervent wish that all in our civil partnerships community together with your loved ones stay safe. We know from our social media feeds how supportive the community is and we are grateful for it at times like this.

As an organisation we have had a lot to do with register offices and the General Register Office over the last few months! Again, we have nothing but sympathy and respect for registrars trying to keep staff safe as well as dealing with the tragedy of increased death registrations.

Many of you have had the disappointment of having your civil partnership notice or registration cancelled. We are aware that this isn’t merely a happy occasion you’ve had to forego for the time being. You have had to also postpone the opportunity to form a registered relationship and the knowledge that financially and legally you and your family are protected should the worst happen.

We asked for stories of why this affects you and we have been inundated. We know that many of you are key-workers, including in healthcare and want to ensure your partner and children have financial peace of mind as you are risking your health to care for others. We know that many of you are older or have compromised immune systems making you worry that you are in the at-risk groups.

This is why we are campaigning for the introduction of digital registrations (via video call platforms) during the period of lockdown. New York State has managed to achieve this and our fervent hope is that we can do the same here. We have set up a petition on change.org – Please do sign and share it.

https://www.change.org/p/myrle-lloyd-registrar-general-allow-digital-registrations-for-civil-partnerships-marriages-during-lockdown

Thank you and best wishes to you all from myself and the rest of the Equal Civil Partnerships campaign team at this difficult time.

Martin Loat

Chairman, Equal Civil Partnerships