Social housing landlord RBH at fault for Awaab Ishak's death hail 'significant progress' in recovery plan

Just over a year on from when they were criticised in a coroner’s report after the death of Awaab Ishak - Rochdale Boroughwide Housing say they have made significant progress.

In December 2022, RBH was put into special measures following an investigation into the death of the toddler as a result of exposure to damp and mould in his Rochdale home. Since then, they have been on a 'significant journey' to improve operational effectiveness and deal with a significant backlog of investment in existing homes.

RBH have submitted a report to Rochdale Council’s Overview and Scrutiny Committee with Amanda Newton, CEO and Kevin Brady, Chair of the Board expected to attend the meeting on May 21 to discuss its findings.

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The report highlighted how Awaab’s death in 2020 sparked a complete refocus which involved the removal of the then chief executive and the appointment of an interim leader to start the business on its recovery journey.

Amanda Newton, RBH chief executive, said: We've made significant progress on delivering the commitments in our recovery plan over the past year and in the eight months since I joined RBH as chief executive.

“We've now inspected almost every home to understand where we need to invest and have continued to have an unwavering focus on dealing with damp and mould. We are addressing the root causes of damp and mould by investing more in roofing, guttering, pointing, and windows.”

The board, which was replaced in its entirety, will lead and govern the organisation facing a significant recovery journey. The recovery plan has been put in place to ensure those changes occur.

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