Karen Buck was awarded with the accolade of being Dod’s & Scottish Widows MP of the Year at last night’s award ceremony.  The awards, held on International Women’s Day to celebrate the achievements of women working in public life.

Karen was nominated by the Westminster CAB for her stand on the Legal Aid debate (read supporting statement below).  On hearing the news Karen said, “It is a great honour and privilege to have won this award and particularly grateful to Westminster CAB for their encouragement. Advice services are one of the less visible pillars of the welfare state and anything that raises their profile can only be good.”

Supporting statement

Access to justice through legal aid gives us all the ability to enforce our rights and is vital within a fair society, yet despite its importance and fragility it is often overlooked. Legal aid is undergoing a seismic process of reform. Karen Buck quickly recognised the practical significance of this very technical process for not-for-profit advice agencies in her constituency. The reforms pose a huge potential threat to these agencies: Karen’s work over recent months has exposed this.

When detail of the reforms was announced she secured a debate on the issue in the Commons and arranged to meet the minister to discuss the issue – she has been doing this on a regular basis ever since. She also helped table an EDM and spoke powerfully in a further debate in January.

She is now leading the London campaign to challenge the reforms and recently held a parliamentary reception for local advice agencies, legal aid solicitors and councillors. The government are now under significant pressure to reconsider their plans. We consider that Karen has been instrumental in achieving this success.

The very fact that she was able to act so quickly on this issue demonstrates how closely she works with local organisations. Karen spoke at Westminster CAB’s AGM in September on access to justice issues and has now developed a system of regular meetings on policy issues and weekly contact on casework. This is a case study of best practice in voluntary sector’s MP relations.

Westminster CAB fully support this nomination: Karen is hugely dedicated, genuine and passionate about meeting the needs of her constituents. She is incredibly supportive and always looks to work with local people and bodies to involve them with issues, such access to justice and legal aid, as they arise.

For details of all the winners and nominees please visit Dod’s Woman of the Year Awards site