About Rachel Woods
Rachel Woods is a Northern Irish politician who served the Green Party MLA for North Down from 2019 to 2022, having replaced the party's former leader, Steven Agnew.
Woods served as a councillor for the Holywood and Clandeboye electoral area on Ards and North Down Borough Council from 2016 until her selection as an MLA in 2019.
Woods passed many amendments to the Domestic Abuse Bill, including widening access to legal aid for victims of abuse and changes to the "child aggravator" clause providing for tougher custodial sentences where a child could be impacted by abuse, as well as additional reporting requirements.
In 2022, her Safe Leave Bill passed the Assembly, making Northern Ireland the first region of the UK to provide 10 days paid leave to victims of domestic abuse. Upon passage, the Bill was said to be "a life saver for many people who are experiencing or have experienced domestic abuse."