Greater Manchester MPs slam social housing system and call for change after Awaab Ishak death
MPs have demanded major change in the standards of social housing after the death in Rochdale of two-year-old Awaab Ishak - and spoke out in support of a campaign by the Manchester Evening News for a new law in the two-year-old's memory to ensure a tragedy like it never happens again.
The Social Housing Regulation Bill is currently going through Parliament, and if approved, would bring back regulation on consumer standards for social housing. We are calling on all MPs and peers to support the Bill and strengthen it, by including Ofsted-style inspections at short notice and increased professionalisation of housing management to improve the experience of tenants, including those living with damp and mould - 'Awaab's Law'.
"How in the UK in 2020 does a two-year-old child die from mould in his home? The inquest clearly showed that this issue is widespread and not just in the socially rented sector either. In a letter to Mr Gove, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, Wigan MP Ms Nandy said it was 'beyond unacceptable' that the Government 'has not given a timetable for introducing a decent homes standard fit for the 21st century'. The reality, added Ms Nandy, for 'too many tenants' was 'substandard accommodation and requests for help repeatedly ignored'.
Awaab died on December 21, 2020. Following six days of evidence at an inquest into his death at Rochdale Coroners' Court, Ms Kearsley concluded Rochdale Boroughwide Housing - which owns and manages the Freehold estate where Awaab lived - should have carried out repairs on the property between July and December 2020, when it knew about the mould.
The coroner added: “The tragic death of Awaab will and should be a defining moment for the housing sector in terms of increasing knowledge, increasing awareness and a deepening of understanding surrounding the issue of damp and mould." Ms Nandy, in her letter, welcomed the summoning by Mr Gove to his department of Gareth Swarbrick, the chief executive of Rochdale Boroughwide Housing. Mr Gove said it 'beggars belief' Mr Swarbrick was still in his job following the 'unacceptable tragedy', saying in the aftermath of the case: "We all know that local authorities are facing challenging times when it comes to finance but, frankly, that is no excuse.
What was said in the commons today Making a statement in the House of Commons today, Housing Secretary Michael Gove accused the landlord of Awaab Ishak’s family of a “terrible dereliction of duty”. He said: “Awaab’s father first articulated his concerns in 2017. He paid tribute to Awaab’s family for their “tireless fight for justice” and said: “They deserved better and their son deserved better.”
The Communities Secretary replied: “He is absolutely right that the leadership of RBH have presided over a terrible situation in his constituency. Action does need to be taken. “The Labour Party have been clear on not only this individual case, but the problems with the housing market more generally. Lisa Nandy, Labour’s shadow levelling up secretary, has written to Michael Gove calling on him to introduce a decent homes standard to be introduced without delay to support tenants with greater rights and security in their own homes.”
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