London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Jul 22, 2025

Awaab Ishak: Councils put 'on notice' following toddler's mould death

Awaab Ishak: Councils put 'on notice' following toddler's mould death

Housing providers are being put "on notice" following the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak, the government has said.

Housing Secretary Michael Gove has written to every English council leader and all social housing providers saying they have to improve conditions.

Awaab died in Rochdale from a respiratory condition caused by exposure to mould in his family's flat.

Rochdale Boroughwide Housing's chief executive was sacked on Saturday.

Gareth Swarbrick had been in charge of the housing association since 2008.

Awaab's family first raised the issue of mould in the flat in 2017 but it had not been fixed by the time of his death in 2020.

Mr Gove sent a separate letter to housing providers saying the country needed to "raise the bar dramatically" on the quality of social housing and "empower tenants" to ensure "their voices are truly heard".

He said that housing providers should carry out assessments of damp and mould in their properties, as well as any action that may need to be taken to tackle the issue.


After Awaab's inquest, Michael Gove said new legislation would hold landlords to account

He added he had been made aware of many cases where this had gone unaddressed for too long.

"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," he said,

In the letter to council leaders, he called the death of Awaab an "avoidable loss" and said councils must make an urgent assessment of housing conditions for tenants with particular focus on issues of damp and mould and the enforcement action being taken.

"This becomes ever more urgent as we go into winter with a cost of living and energy crisis, which may exacerbate damp and mould conditions in some homes," he said.

"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."

Speaking after the inquest, Awaab's father Faisal Abdullah (left) and mother Aisha Amin (right) said people should not be housed in places "unfit for human habitation"


Awaab's inquest, which finished on Tuesday, heard that his father Faisal Abdullah - who came from Sudan to the UK in 2016 and was joined by his wife Aisha Amin a year later - reported mould in their flat to RBH in 2017 and was told to paint over it.

In June 2020, the family contacted solicitors and initiated a claim over the recurring mould issue, but policy meant any repairs would not be done until an agreement had been reached.

The inquest heard Awaab had consistently suffered from cold and respiratory issues. He died after being rushed to hospital with shortness of breath in December that year.

After the inquest finished, Mr Swarbrick, who was appointed chief executive in 2008, apologised for the organisation's response over the mould but rejected calls to quit his job, saying he had the board's "full backing".

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Google Secures Windsurf AI Coding Team in $2.4 Billion Licence Deal
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
South African Police Minister Suspended Amid Organised Crime Allegations
Nvidia CEO Claims Chinese Military Reluctance to Use US AI Technology
Hong Kong Advances Digital Asset Strategy to Address Economic Challenges
Australia Rules Out Pre‑commitment of Troops, Reinforces Defence Posture Amid US‑China Tensions
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
U.S. Resumes Deportations to Third Countries After Supreme Court Ruling
Excavation Begins at Site of Mass Grave for Children at Former Irish Institution
×