London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Sep 17, 2025

Gove accuses London council of repeated failures after mould in child’s home

Gove accuses London council of repeated failures after mould in child’s home

Housing Secretary says London council failed to provide ‘most basic level of decency’ for tenants after complaints
Michael Gove has accused a London council of persistently failing its tenants after a girl was left in a damp-infested property.

The Housing Secretary wrote to Lambeth Council’s senior leadership on Friday after five “severe maladministration” complaints across three cases were published by the Housing Ombudsman in February.

Among the cases were a girl left in a mouldy and damp property which allegedly exacerbated her eczema until her skin bled and forced her to take time off school.

Mr Gove wrote: “You failed repeatedly to carry out repairs, which exacerbated a child’s health problems.

“We have seen first-hand through the case of Awaab Ishaak how unresolved damp and mould can have tragic consequences.”

Awaab, a two-year-old boy, died in 2022 of a respiratory condition caused by prolonged exposure to black mould in the family’s social housing property in Rochdale.

Last month, the Government announced plans for “Awaab's Law”, which will require social housing providers to fix reported damp and mould issues within certain time limits.

In another case, Lambeth left a disabled resident without a functioning toilet or bath and shower for over three weeks.

And in the third case, the council’s bungled boiler repairs meant a resident who has rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia was without heating and hot water for an extended period of time in the depths of winter.

Mr Gove said: “I was appalled to read about these cases and the persistent failure to provide even the most basic level of decency that a resident should expect from you as a landlord.”

Lambeth was ordered to pay £4,350 in compensation to the tenants in total.

Cllr Donna Harris, leader of the opposition Liberal Democrats, said: “It is totally abhorrent that the Housing Ombudsman has found yet again severe maladministration within Lambeth’s Labour Council.

“Many promises are made and words come so easily but it is action that is needed, not hot air.

“Lambeth Council need to concentrate on hitting their own response times with immediate effect, as they are currently failing dismally.”

The intervention comes just months after a similar letter was written by Mr Gove over two previous housing complaints upheld by the Ombudsman last year.

A Lambeth Council spokesperson said it had apologised to the tenants affected and was committed to quickly fixing issues across its stock of 33,000 homes.

The spokesperson said: “We fully support our residents in their right to raise complaints about any housing issues they face, and have apologised where the services provided to our tenants have fallen below acceptable standards.

“We are focused on making improvements to day-to-day repairs and maintenance, with 10 new firms and a new in-house repairs team assigned to the task.

“This is part of our wider work to proactively reduce instances of disrepair and resolve them in partnership with our residents, including home health checks and a rapid response team to respond to any reports of damp and mould.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
×