Housing shock

THE death of Awaab Ishak, of mould exposure aged just two, shone a light on the terrible state of Britain’s housing stock.

There are hundreds of thousands of tenants living in substandard buildings. Too often their complaints go unheard and unanswered.

They are the victims of shoddy landlords, Government cuts and a failure to build enough affordable homes. The Government is promising action through its Social Housing Regulation Bill and, while this is welcome, it should have been enacted years ago.

It should not have taken the death of a toddler for authorities to act.