A coroner ruled that two-year-old Awaab Ishak died after exposure to mould in his Rochdale flat.
Image source, Family handoutThe death of a toddler after he faced months of living with mould in his home is an “unacceptable tragedy”, the housing secretary has said.
Awaab Ishak died from a respiratory condition caused by exposure to the mould, a coroner has ruled.
His father repeatedly raised the issue with Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) but no action was taken.
Housing Secretary Michael Gove said it “beggars belief” that RBH’s chief executive is still in his job.
Coroner Joanne Kearsley had also criticised RBH for not being “proactive”.
She said: “How in the UK in 2020 does a two-year-old child die as a result of exposure to mould?”
Two-year-old Awaab died in December 2020 following a cardiac arrest after living in the damp one-bedroom flat in Rochdale, Greater Manchester.
His father Faisal Abdullah had complained about the mould but said the family had been “left feeling absolutely worthless at the hands of RBH”.
Mr Gove said local authorities and housing associations could not blame a lack of government funding for the child’s death.
“We all know that local authorities are facing challenging times when it comes to finance but, frankly, that is no excuse,” he said.
“When you have 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 – but particularly the housing association – to make sure that people are in decent homes.
Image source, Greater Manchester Police
“All this what-aboutery, all this ‘Oh, if only we had more government money’ – do your job, man.”
Mr Gove said he has summoned the head of the housing association concerned to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
Image source, Police handout
The minister said the government is bringing forward legislation to ensure housing associations responsible for providing social housing are “held to account”.
RBH’s chief executive Gareth Swarbrick, said Awaab’s death should be a “wake-up call for everyone in housing, social care and health”.
He said: “We didn’t recognise the level of risk to a little boy’s health from the mould in the family’s home. “
Image source, Family handout
The housing boss added: “We must make sure this can never happen again.”
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