Safety award for MP in road death campaign after Shropshire tragedy
An MP from the Shropshire border has been named Parliamentarian of the Year by national road safety charity Brake.
Susan Elan Jones received the award for her campaigning which began following the death of a nine-year-old boy from Overton, near Ellesmere.
Robert Gaunt, known as Robbie, died after being hit by two cars as he was pushing his bike on the A539 on the edge of the village six years ago.
Since then Ms Jones has been campaigning for tougher jail terms for drivers who kill and injure.
Working with Robert's family and the Overton community, she has been part of a campaign that has already seen sentencing laws begin to change.
She took her own Bill calling for a review of sentencing guidelines to Parliament last month, winning cross party support.
Her work was praised by Julie Townsend, deputy chief executive of Brake, at an awards ceremony in Westminster.
"We are very pleased to recognise the efforts that Susan has made in this area," she said.
"She has been at the forefront of parliamentary debates on the subject throughout the year, setting the tone by bringing forward her own Driving Offences (Review of Sentencing Guidelines) Bill, with cross party support, in January."
The Clwyd South MP said she was receiving her award on behalf of the community of Overton.
"I wanted to take this campaign forward in tribute to the excellent work undertaken by Robert's family, Overton Community Council and the wider local community," she said.
David James Lunn, of Queens Park, Wrexham, who was 61 at the time, was jailed for 22 months after admitting causing Robert's death while driving without insurance and a driving licence, failing to stop at the scene and attempting to pervert the course of justice.
