Gove acts after boy, 2, dies from mould in flat

MICHAEL GOVE has said it “beggars belief ” that the head of a housing association is still in his job after a two-yearold boy died from a respiratory condition caused by prolonged exposure to mould in his home.

Awaab Ishak’s parents repeatedly complained to Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) about the state of their flat, which was described as unfit for human habitation.

But nothing was done to remedy the problem and in December 2020, Awaab, who had suffered from breathing problems, died from respiratory failure and cardiac arrest.

Mr Gove, the Housing Secretary, described it as an “unacceptable tragedy” and said that he had summoned Gareth Swarbrick, the chief executive of RBH, to his department to explain himself.

He accused the housing association of ignoring the family’s concerns and hiding behind procedure, adding: “It beggars belief that this guy is still in office. He’s coming here in order to explain to me why it was that this tragedy was allowed to happen.” Rochdale coroner’s court heard Awaab’s father, Faisal Abdullah, came to the UK from Sudan in 2016 and was joined by his wife a year later.

In 2017, he had complained to RBH about a growing mould problem in the one-bedroom flat but had been told to paint over it.

The following year Awaab was born and in June 2020 Mr Abdullah instructed a solicitor to take action over the recurring mould problem.

In December, Awaab was taken to the Royal Oldham Hospital suffering from a shortness of breath. He was treated and discharged but his condition deteriorated and he died two days later.

Delivering a narrative verdict, Joanne Kearsley, the Manchester North senior coroner, said the ventilation in the property had not been effective and that had been a contributing factor in the development of the mould.

In a statement issued through their solicitor, Awaab’s family said they had been left feeling “absolutely worthless” at the hands of RBH.

They said: “We cannot tell you how many health professionals we have cried in front of and RBH staff we have pleaded to.”

In a statement, Mr Swarbrick said: “We know that nothing we can say will bring Awaab back or be of any consolation to his family. We have and will continue to learn hard lessons from this.”

He added: “We must make sure this can never happen again. Awaab’s death needs to be a wake-up call for everyone in housing, social care and health.”

However, Mr Gove said: “We all know that local authorities are facing challenging times when it comes to finance. But frankly, that’s no excuse.

“When you’ve got a situation where you have a young child in a house that is unfit for human habitation, it is a basic responsibility of the local authority, in particular the housing association, to make sure that people are in decent homes.”

Downing Street said the circumstances which led to Awaab’s death were “unacceptable”.

A Downing Street spokesman said: “Clearly this is a tragic case. The Prime Minister’s thoughts are with his family at this extremely difficult time.”