Latest news with #Multi-StoreyCarParks(Safety)Bill
ITV News
07-07-2025
- Politics
- ITV News
Race against time to change law on car park barriers before bereaved mum loses cancer battle
Johnny Santer has been working to introduce 'Gabe's Law' to make safety barriers taller and prevent future deaths. He spoke to our political correspondent, Lise McNally. A father who is fighting to make multi-storey car parks safer after his son fell to his death says he hopes to change the law before his wife's terminal cancer progresses. Gabriel Santer was 15-years-old when he fell from the top of a multi-storey car park in October 2020. He had been with friends at the Q-car park, in Liverpool city centre, and had just texted his mum to tell her what he wanted for tea, but never came home. Since then, his dad Johnny Santer has campaigned to increase the minimum height of barriers on top of car parks through the Multi-Storey Car Parks (Safety) Bill, known as Gabe's Law. But he says "time is of the essence" for his wife and Gabriel's mother to see the law passed before her cancer, which she has been living with for the last 10 years, progresses any further. Johnny said: "It would be lovely for her knowing Gabe's law has been enacted to protect the most vulnerable people in our communities and make sure no other family goes through the pain we have." On Monday, 7 July, Johnny met with the Building Safety Minister Alex Norris to make his case. If the law were to pass, it would see: "When you look as I have done extensively into this problem, specifically surrounding multi-story car parks, you realise we've got a really big problem", Johnny said. "We are having repeated preventable deaths - six at the last count in Liverpool alone since Gabriel's death, and unbelievably another from the same operator as the one that Gabriel fell from. It has to stop." The company that runs the site where Gabe died have previously said that their car park outperformed the required building regulations and they were cleared of any the Liverpool Garston MP Maria Eagle believes that is exactly why the regulations need to change, and says the best way of preventing future deaths is to "stop it being so easy." She said: "At the moment the law requires only a very low barrier, that people can easily topple, fall or jump over. So, make the barrier higher, people can't fall, and they can't jump, its simple as that." At the beginning of July, the Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer promised to review safety standards in multi-stories to 'prevent future tragedies." Speaking in Parliament on 2 July, he said the Government will conduct a call for evidence on minimum barrier heights in car parks. He added: 'We will conduct a call for evidence on part K of the building regulations about minimum guarding heights, so that necessary protections are in place to prevent future tragedies. "We will also look at the contents of the Bill.'
South Wales Guardian
02-07-2025
- Politics
- South Wales Guardian
Starmer pledges to review minimum barrier heights in multi-storey car parks
Gabriel Santer died after falling from the top of a multi-storey car park in the city centre in October 2020. The Prime Minister said he wanted to 'prevent future tragedies', and the Government will conduct a call for evidence on minimum barrier heights in car parks. This came after Labour MP Peter Dowd urged Sir Keir to back his calls to increase the minimum required height of guarding. Mr Dowd's Multi-Storey Car Parks (Safety) Bill also proposes 24-hour staffing of such car parks, to improve safety. During Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Dowd, MP for Bootle said: 'Gabe Santer, a 15-year-old, fell to his death from a multi-storey car park in Liverpool in 2020. He's one of the many dying in such tragic circumstances, including in my constituency. 'My Multi-Storey Car Parks (Safety) Bill seeks to prevent such deaths. 'Will the Government look carefully at its content as part of a national suicide prevention strategy?' The Prime Minister replied: 'The answer is yes, we will look at the content of it, and I'm grateful to him for raising it.' He added: 'Across the House, we have all got tragic experience of suicide, and our thoughts are with Gabe's family and with his friends. 'We will conduct a call for evidence on part K of the building regulations about minimum guarding heights, so that necessary protections are in place to prevent future tragedies. We will also look at the contents of the Bill.' Defence minister Maria Eagle previously presented 'Gabe's Law' to Parliament in 2023, in a bid to reform the safety of car parks.
North Wales Chronicle
02-07-2025
- Politics
- North Wales Chronicle
Starmer pledges to review minimum barrier heights in multi-storey car parks
Gabriel Santer died after falling from the top of a multi-storey car park in the city centre in October 2020. The Prime Minister said he wanted to 'prevent future tragedies', and the Government will conduct a call for evidence on minimum barrier heights in car parks. This came after Labour MP Peter Dowd urged Sir Keir to back his calls to increase the minimum required height of guarding. Mr Dowd's Multi-Storey Car Parks (Safety) Bill also proposes 24-hour staffing of such car parks, to improve safety. During Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Dowd, MP for Bootle said: 'Gabe Santer, a 15-year-old, fell to his death from a multi-storey car park in Liverpool in 2020. He's one of the many dying in such tragic circumstances, including in my constituency. 'My Multi-Storey Car Parks (Safety) Bill seeks to prevent such deaths. 'Will the Government look carefully at its content as part of a national suicide prevention strategy?' The Prime Minister replied: 'The answer is yes, we will look at the content of it, and I'm grateful to him for raising it.' He added: 'Across the House, we have all got tragic experience of suicide, and our thoughts are with Gabe's family and with his friends. 'We will conduct a call for evidence on part K of the building regulations about minimum guarding heights, so that necessary protections are in place to prevent future tragedies. We will also look at the contents of the Bill.' Defence minister Maria Eagle previously presented 'Gabe's Law' to Parliament in 2023, in a bid to reform the safety of car parks.
Leader Live
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Leader Live
Starmer pledges to review minimum barrier heights in multi-storey car parks
Gabriel Santer died after falling from the top of a multi-storey car park in the city centre in October 2020. The Prime Minister said he wanted to 'prevent future tragedies', and the Government will conduct a call for evidence on minimum barrier heights in car parks. This came after Labour MP Peter Dowd urged Sir Keir to back his calls to increase the minimum required height of guarding. Mr Dowd's Multi-Storey Car Parks (Safety) Bill also proposes 24-hour staffing of such car parks, to improve safety. During Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Dowd, MP for Bootle said: 'Gabe Santer, a 15-year-old, fell to his death from a multi-storey car park in Liverpool in 2020. He's one of the many dying in such tragic circumstances, including in my constituency. 'My Multi-Storey Car Parks (Safety) Bill seeks to prevent such deaths. 'Will the Government look carefully at its content as part of a national suicide prevention strategy?' The Prime Minister replied: 'The answer is yes, we will look at the content of it, and I'm grateful to him for raising it.' He added: 'Across the House, we have all got tragic experience of suicide, and our thoughts are with Gabe's family and with his friends. 'We will conduct a call for evidence on part K of the building regulations about minimum guarding heights, so that necessary protections are in place to prevent future tragedies. We will also look at the contents of the Bill.' Defence minister Maria Eagle previously presented 'Gabe's Law' to Parliament in 2023, in a bid to reform the safety of car parks.
Glasgow Times
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Glasgow Times
Starmer pledges to review minimum barrier heights in multi-storey car parks
Gabriel Santer died after falling from the top of a multi-storey car park in the city centre in October 2020. The Prime Minister said he wanted to 'prevent future tragedies', and the Government will conduct a call for evidence on minimum barrier heights in car parks. This came after Labour MP Peter Dowd urged Sir Keir to back his calls to increase the minimum required height of guarding. Mr Dowd's Multi-Storey Car Parks (Safety) Bill also proposes 24-hour staffing of such car parks, to improve safety. During Prime Minister's Questions, Mr Dowd, MP for Bootle said: 'Gabe Santer, a 15-year-old, fell to his death from a multi-storey car park in Liverpool in 2020. He's one of the many dying in such tragic circumstances, including in my constituency. 'My Multi-Storey Car Parks (Safety) Bill seeks to prevent such deaths. 'Will the Government look carefully at its content as part of a national suicide prevention strategy?' Labour MP for Bootle Peter Dowd raised the case of Gabe Santer (Chris McAndrew/PA) The Prime Minister replied: 'The answer is yes, we will look at the content of it, and I'm grateful to him for raising it.' He added: 'Across the House, we have all got tragic experience of suicide, and our thoughts are with Gabe's family and with his friends. 'We will conduct a call for evidence on part K of the building regulations about minimum guarding heights, so that necessary protections are in place to prevent future tragedies. We will also look at the contents of the Bill.' Defence minister Maria Eagle previously presented 'Gabe's Law' to Parliament in 2023, in a bid to reform the safety of car parks.
