CRACKDOWN ON POOR HOUSING LANDLORDS
SOCIAL housing standards must improve and tenants’ complaints be listened to, bosses have been warned following the tragic death of a toddler in a mould-ridden flat.
Housing Secretary Michael Gove has written to every council leader and housing group in England, telling them to “raise the bar dramatically” after little Awaab Ishak’s inquest heard mould exposure killed him. Mr Gove wrote: “I am putting housing providers on notice, I will take whatever action is required to improve standards across the country and ensure tenants’ voices are heard.”
“Where people complain about damp and mould, you must listen; where you find them, you must take prompt action. You must not hide behind legal process.”
Two-year-old Awaab died in 2020, three years after his parents first told Rochdale Boroughwide Housing in Greater Manchester about mould issues. RBH chief Gareth Swarbrick was sacked on Saturday after refusing to quit over the scandal. Anne Longfield, ex-Children’s Commissioner for England, warned more children are living in conditions like those that killed Awaab, She said: “These are needless harms. They can be prevented.”