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“We shouted out as loudly as we could,” said Awaab Ishak’s parents, in the wake of their son’s inquest.
Standing in the pouring rain outside Rochdale Coroners’ Court, they were too upset to read their statement themselves.
Instead they stood shoulder to shoulder with lawyers who helped them seek justice and read their words to the assembled media.
“We cannot tell you how many health professionals we’ve cried in front of and Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) staff we have pleaded to, expressing concern for the conditions ourselves and Awaab have been living in," they said.
Awaab had just celebrated his second birthda y when he died after prolonged exposure to damp and mould at his Rochdale home in December 2020.
The family - originally from Sudan - has accused RBH of racism. They say they were treated differently because they were ‘less aware of how the systems in the UK work’.
The have called for RBH to ‘stop discriminating, stop being racist, stop providing unfair treatment to people coming from abroad who are refugees or asylum seekers, stop housing people in homes you know are unfit for human habitation’.
Shadow housing secretary Lisa Nandy is calling for an investigation into the treatment of refugees in the housing system. Describing the circumstances around Awaab’s death as ‘just appalling’ she said Britain needs ‘a decent homes standard fit for the 21st century’.
“All homes must be fit for human habitation. And we need an investigation into the treatment of refugees in the housing system and the role that racism may have played in this case.
“This is now beyond unacceptable,” she tweeted.
The Labour Wigan MP has written to Housing Secretary Michael Gove calling for an investigation and for a decent homes standard to be introduced without delay.
Though such an investigation is yet to take place, we already know from government data that houses are damper in the North West.
And there are more black, Asian and Bangladeshi families living in damp accommodation than white families, as these graphics from David Dubas-Fisher of Reach's Data Unit show.
Mr Gove last night said the case had ‘shone a light on what needs to change’ and insisted new legislation will ensure housing associations are held to account.
He has summoned Rochdale Boroughwide Housing chief executive Gareth Swarbrick - who was paid £170,000 last year - to his department for a meeting. He told broadcasters it ‘beggars belief’ that he is still in his job. “He is coming here in order to explain to me why it was that this tragedy was allowed to happen,” Mr Gove said.
However Mr Gove was quick to deny a link between the problem and 12 years of Conservative cuts to local government funding.
Mr Swarbrick has admitted RBH ‘didn’t recognise’ the level of risk to Awaab’s health and allowed process to get in the way of promptly tackling the problem. He says hard lessons have been learned but has stopped short of offering an outright apology.
Conservative Heywood and Middleton MP Chris Clarkson today told the Commons he has seen walls ‘caked in black mould and rising damp’ in an RBH property in his constituency.
“RBH are modern-day slumlords,” he said.
When reporter Stephen Topping visited the Freehold estate last summer, he found a number of families dealing with damp and mould problems. Young families described having to make hospital visits because their children struggle to breathe.
But it’s certainly not the first time a Manchester Evening News reporter has spoken to families at their wits end, or suffering health problems, while living in unacceptable conditions.
Many of these complaints are ignored by housing associations until local media get involved and even then, we are often told they cannot comment on individual cases, or that tenants need to simply open windows or should stop drying washing inside.
And we know that when Awaab's family first began complaining of mould, in 2017, just over a year before he was born, his father was told to simply 'paint over it'. By 2020, the social housing provider was blaming the family for the problem.
The latest government figures show one in every 18 houses in the North West suffered from damp in 2020. That’s compared to one in every 46 houses in the South East.
As coroner Joanne Kearsley said as she delivered her conclusion on the case, the issue is ‘not simply a Rochdale problem’ and damp and mould is not ‘a social housing problem’.
But it is clearly a problem that affects some people far more than others.
Mr Gove - who today accused RBH of a ‘terrible dereliction of duty’ - has promised to ‘act immediately on the recommendations of the coroner’.
‘Grossly unfair’
When reporter Stephen Topping headed to Awaab Ishak’s inquest earlier this month, he had a good idea of the story he expected to hear.
He had already been investigating the case, gathering as much information about Awaab’s short life, for several months.
And he had visited the Freehold estate where the family lived, knocking on more than 50 doors to try and find out if this was an isolated incident, or a wider problem.
But he says the moment in court which struck him most was when RBH gave its new admissions on day three.
“Almost two years on from Awaab’s death, and after two days of evidence, suddenly the housing association admits it got it wrong,” he tells The Mancunian Way.
“I felt angry at the audacity of it - for RBH to simply hold their hands up at that moment because their original position had unravelled, while Awaab’s parents battled through the emotion of hearing the tragedy unfold over again in court, seemed grossly unfair.
“The lack of apology to the family from RBH afterwards only rubbed salt into the wound.”
Stephen is still speaking to residents on the estate and says there is anger.
He says: “There is a sense of anger among residents I’ve spoken to about how Awaab’s death could be allowed to happen on their estate.
“The case shows us a lot about how people in our society don’t get their voices heard no matter how loud they shout - and that needs to change.”
If you have a story linked to these issues that you would like Stephen to look into, email stephen.topping@reachplc.com.
Get involved
The Manchester Evening News’ campaign for a change in law following Awaab’s death is being supported by housing charity Shelter, whose chief executive Polly Neate says: "For too long, too many social housing tenants have been forced to live in dangerous conditions in homes riddled with mould, and worse yet, are being ignored when they complain."
Awaab’s death was a tragedy that could, and should, have been prevented.
That’s why we’re calling for a strengthening of the Social Housing Regulation Bill currently going through Parliament.
Meanwhile, an 'Awaab's Law' would require social landlords to investigate the causes of damp and mould within 14 days of complaints being made and give seven days to begin work to repair a property if a medical professional believes there is a risk to a tenant's health.
You can sign the petition here.
'Do you want to hear or do you want to shut up?'
There were tense scenes in the Commons yesterday and a Tory MP was forced to apologise to Lisa Nandy and two colleagues after telling them to ‘shut up’.
Sedgefield MP Paul Howell was speaking against Labour’s proposal that former PM Liz Truss and former Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng should not take some severance pay - due to the economic turmoil caused by the mini-budget.
He said severance payments are statutory and it is ‘wholly inappropriate for political intervention on those’. “I think it is up to the individual if they want to choose not to take it because they think it is inappropriate, then they can make those decisions,” he said.
As he spoke one of the opposition frontbench team said: “What do you think?”, with Mr Howell replying: “What do I think? I think it depends on the individual.”
As Labour continued to ask him questions, Mr Howell said: “You have chirped and talked – do you want to hear or do you want to shut up?”
There were audible gasps from Ms Nandy, shadow minister Sarah Owen and Liverpool Wavertree MP Paula Barker and Mr Howell immediately apologised.
Deputy Commons Speaker Nigel Evans accepted the apology, but reminded the Opposition: “This isn’t a chat. This is a debate.”
Enough to buy United
Manchester Council ‘could have bought Manchester United’ with the money lost through budget cuts over the last 12 years, a councillor has claimed.
The authority has had to make savings of £428m a year to cope with funding cuts under austerity and keep up with inflation and population growth, as Joseph Timan reports.
Council bosses say Manchester would be £77m a year better off had it only received the average cut to local government funding.
It is currently facing a £96m black hole over the next three years and needs to find £28m of savings in the next financial year alone.
Ahead of the Chancellor’s autumn statement tomorrow, Labour councillor Sam Wheeler told the scrutiny committee: "We talk about £400-and-odd-million a year. But it's the cumulative effect year-on-year which now, by my maths, with this one included, is somewhere north of £3bn.
"This council could have bought Man United with the amount of money that the government has taken off us."
Weather etc
- Thursday: Yellow weather warning for rain. 10C.
- Trains: Special timetable operating on Avanti West Coast and Transpennine Express due to shortage of train crews. Passengers are advised to check their journey if travelling.
- Trams: Revised service on Manchester Metrolink due to over running engineering works at Piccadilly Gardens. Some Metrolink services are operating with changes until the end of November.
- Trivia question: Which Reddish-born architect designed the London building 30 St Mary Axe, widely known as ‘the gherkin’?
Manchester headlines
Old mags court: Plans for 84 homes at the former Sale Magistrates Court have received £1.2m of funding. The cash from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority will go towards Trafford Council’s plans to overhaul the site for new homes, including major road changes nearby. The plans include 38 apartments in two blocks, one three storeys high, one four storeys, 40 townhouses and six semi-detached houses built. There will be a total of 21 ‘affordable’ homes, made up of 13 flats for affordable rent, and eight houses for shared ownership - representing 25 per cent affordable housing, on site. The proposals were approved by the authority last year and will be a joint venture between the council and developers Seddon.
New homes: Hundreds of ‘high quality’ new homes are to be built on a former Sainsbury’s site in Stockport town centre. Town hall bosses have given the go ahead for proposals that will see more than 500 flats and 34 townhouses spring up on the three-acre Warren Street plot. A total of 573 homes will be spread across a trio of buildings, rising in height from five to 15 storeys. The scheme also includes space for a range of potential uses such as shops, cafes, gyms and creches. Parking for 122 cars is to be provided at basement level, while there are also 564 cycle spaces for resident’s use. More here.
Flamingo Bar: A shisha bar in Cheetham Hill has been accused of 'operating unlawfully' after police were called to the site hours after it was supposed to have closed. Flamingo Bar and Restaurant has also been accused by the city council of allowing customers to smoke shisha pipes in an enclosed area. Councillors decided to revoke the premises licence following a hearing on Monday, although the owner could now appeal the decision. It comes less than a year after the premises in Honey Street first opened, having taken over from the former Queens Arms pub which lost its licence. More here.
Apprenticeships: Northern is looking to recruit up to 16 engineering apprentices to join the team responsible for maintaining and enhancing its fleet of trains. The apprentices will be based at one of five ‘TrainCare Centres’ across the North, including one at Newton Heath. Salaries start at £15,817 and benefits including free train travel on the Northern network. The operator is targeting its recruitment campaign at school and college-leavers with a minimum of five GCSEs.
Worth a read
What’s it like to trade on ‘Counterfeit Street’ as an honest business? Not much fun according to the people reporter Damon Wilkinson has been chatting to.
He has been garnering opinion on Bury New Road - where police have promised a major crackdown to rid the streets of criminality which has become the norm in the area.
It’s telling that each of the legitimate traders Damon spoke to talked only on condition of anonymity, fearful of potential repercussions.
"I'm sick and tired of it," said one small business owner, who has run a shop in the area for the last nine years. "It's getting worse. They (the drug dealers) stand right outside my door. I spoke to one of them one the other week. He threatened to burn the shop down.
"They're nasty people. It's not good for the customers and it's not good for the businesses.
"Come down here after 12pm and you'll see them all (the drug users). They get surrounded by dealers, they're fighting for their custom. The police do f*** all about it. They come at the wrong time."
That's all for today
Thanks for joining me. If you have stories you would like us to look into, email beth.abbit@menmedia.co.uk.
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The answer to today's trivia question is: Sir Norman Foster.
