The chief executive of Rochdale Boroughwide Housing, the landlord of the mould-infested home responsible for the death of Awaab Ishak, 2, has been fired
Gareth Swarbrick, chief executive of Rochdale Boroughwide Housing, has been sacked with immediate effect, the board said, after an inquest found that Awaab's family home was 'unfit for human habitation'.
The coroner ruled that housing association Rochdale Boroughwide Housing should have done more to make the house safe for Awaab. “We are committed to sharing what we have learnt about the impact to health of damp, condensation and mould with the social housing sector, and to supporting sector wide changes. We will work with other agencies local and national and with central government in implementing the wider changes recommended to them by the Coroner.
It comes after Awaab's parents labelled the housing association as racist for their treatment of the family. Coroner Joanne Kearsley asked at the inquest: "How in the UK in 2020 does a two-year-old child die as a result to exposure to mould?""The tragic death of Awaab Ishak should be a defining moment for the housing sector."
"Awaab’s coughing fits would sometimes last two or three days. There were days we wouldn’t be able to take him out of the house because of how bad his coughing was. But of course by him staying in the house it was making his coughing worse. We were absolutely trapped."
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