[WATCH] RBH CEO issues statement on Awaab Ishak death, refuses to resign

The CEO and chair of Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) have issued a statement following the conclusion of the investigation into the death of Awaab Ishak.

Two-year-old Awaab, an RBH tenant, died following prolonged exposure to mould in his parents’ one-bed apartment.

Since the finding, there have been widespread calls for the the CEO of RBH, Gareth Swarbrick, to resign.

However, in a newly issued statement, Swarbrick said that the conversation around his position had begun to “overshadow the most important part of all of this, which is that a family has lost their child”.

The board has “full confidence in Gareth’s leadership”, according to chair Alison Tumilty.

The motto of RBH is ‘All Together Better Living’.

In full: Statement from RBH CEO Gareth Swarbrick on the death of Awaab Ishak

I want to start by saying how sorry I am to Awaab’s family for their loss – no apology will ever be enough.

The conversation around my position has begun to overshadow the most important part of all of this, which is that a family has lost their child.

Having spoken to the Board, I can confirm that I will not be resigning. They have given me their full backing and trust to continue to oversee the improvements and changes needed within RBH.

I have spoken to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up and Housing, Michael Gove, to discuss Awaab and the issues we face in social housing.

We back the government’s commitment to strengthen the Decent Homes Standard and the importance of the tenant’s voice, which will be reinforced by the Social Housing Regulation Bill.

We have made a raft of changes following the death of Awaab, which have been noted by the coroner. We have made a fundamental change to our disrepair policy, so that work to tenants’ homes will not be held up by a legal process.

Other improvements include better connected IT systems and mandatory training on damp and mould for all colleagues.

We are also rolling out real-time video interpreting technology for employees, enhancing communication with tenants where English is not the first language.

We all have a duty to call out prejudice, wherever we see it. Equity is at the heart of what we do as a mutual housing society and we will continue to strive for greater inclusion and equality.

We agree with the coroner that the tragic death of Awaab will be, and should be, a defining moment for the whole housing sector.

I will continue our work in Rochdale and collaborate with the social housing sector and beyond to make sure this can never happen again.

In full: Statement from RBH chair Alison Tumilty on the death of Awaab Ishak

As an organisation, we would again like to extend our deepest sympathies and say sorry to Faisal and Aisha. We let them down.

This is a tragedy of the highest order, and we are devastated that it happened in one of our homes. We have made mistakes and we are endeavouring to correct them.

Having spoken to the Board, I can confirm that we have full confidence in Gareth’s leadership. He has the trust of the Board. He has extensive knowledge of the sector and the communities of Rochdale.

Together, we will work to restore the trust of the people of Rochdale and demonstrate that we are a mutual landlord that cares, and cares deeply about our tenants.

We will continue conversations with Michael Gove and the Housing Ombudsman to discuss what happened to Awaab, and the issues we face in social housing across the sector that need to be dealt with to prevent future deaths.

In her report, the coroner acknowledged the changes we have made and our commitment to share with others.

She makes recommendations across housing and health – at a local and national level.

We take our responsibilities extremely seriously and are committed to working with others to bring about change.

Rochdale Boroughwide Housing is committed to do better and we will do better.

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Political scrutiny

Michael Gove recently issued a statement on social housing standards following the death of Awaab Ishak.

In an address to Parliament, the Housing secretary spoke of the need for further reforms to the sector, pledging to “act immediately” on recommendations.

Image: Gareth Swarbrick, CEO, Rochdale Boroughwide Housing. Credit: RBH

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