Social housing ‘must get better’ after mould death
HOUSING Secretary Michael Gove has written to every English council leader and social housing provider, as he warned that deaths like that of twoyear-old Awaab Ishak must “never be allowed to happen again”.
An inquest into the death of Awaab prompted an outcry last week, after it found he died in December 2020 from a respiratory condition caused by mould in the one-bedroom housing association flat where he lived in Rochdale, Greater Manchester.
Gareth Swarbrick, the chief executive of Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH), was removed from his position on Saturday.
Mr Gove, who las week said it “beggars belief” that Mr Swarbrick was still in his job, wrote a letter to all local authority chief executives in England, as well as a separate letter to all social housing providers.
He warned providers: “I want to be clear about what this must mean in relation to damp and mould, as I have been made aware of many cases where this has gone unaddressed for far too long and am concerned that they are not treated with sufficient seriousness.
“Where people complain about damp and mould, you must listen; where you find them, you must take prompt action. To keep tenants safe, you must not hide behind legal process.”
Mr Gove, in the letter to council leaders, calls the death of Awaab an “avoidable loss”.