A CHESTER mum has spoken of her ‘overwhelming’ gratitude toward MP Stephen Mosley after she witnessed him taking her campaign to the House of Commons on Tuesday.
Lindsay Burgess was in the Public Gallery to hear Mr Mosley pass a parliamentary motion to a packed house calling for the Government to bring retaining and load-bearing walls within the remit of building regulations.
Lindsay’s three-year-old daughter Meg was crushed to death in 2008 when a wall, which had been backfilled with a pile of rubble, fell on top of her as she and her mum were out walking in their home town of Meliden in North Wales.
Speaking from her home in Upton yesterday, Lindsay said: “When the Speaker said ‘all those in favour, say aye’ everyone stood up and when he asked for those against, no-one did.
“I just looked up and thought of Meg. It was such an emotional moment. She was so special and she had got us there. I thought to myself ‘this is history in the making’. Eventually, because of Meg, something will change.
“These are baby steps forward but she has made her mark.”
She added: “I have so much respect for Stephen Mosley and his team and I would like to thank them all for everything they have done.”
Lindsay was in London with her friend Lara Gilbert, who stood by her throughout the trial of builder George Collier last year and whose daughter, Angel, was Meg’s best friend.
Mr Collier, who designed the wall, was jailed for two years after being found guilty of manslaughter by gross negligence.
Following the trial, Lindsay and her husband Peter, Meg’s dad, launched Meg’s Campaign, to license the building trade. The couple quickly secured the support of Mr Mosley, who began by arranging for them to meet MP Don Foster, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Communities and Local Government, in December. Mr Foster was in the House on Tuesday.
Speaking after the debate, Mr Mosley said: “I was delighted to have been able to bring this motion forwarded in memory of Meg.
“From previous discussions with the minister, I was aware that bringing retaining walls within the remit of building regulations was not on the Government’s legislative agenda, but it was a fantastic opportunity to raise the profile of the issue, to build cross-party support among MPs and, hopefully, to have presented a persuasive case that compels the minister to look more favourably on reforms in the future.”
The motion, which was timetabled to take place just before Tuesday’s Gay Marriage Bill, is scheduled for a second reading on March 1.
