Gay Couples
A 'couple' includes people of the same sex who are married to each other, or civil partners of each other, or who are not married to each other or civil partners of each other but are living together as if they were.

If a same-sex couple accept that one of these phrases describes accurately their relationship then they should be treated as if they were a couple for grant purposes.

If two persons of the same sex, who are sharing a household, deny that this describes accurately their relationship then it is unlikely to be possible in practice to establish that it does, to the standard of proof required. This is particularly so in the absence of any established criteria for resolving the matter in cases of dispute.