CEO of RBH says he 'will not be resigning' and is backed by the board of directors

Gareth Swarbrick, the chief executive of Rochdale Boroughwide Housing, has released a statement saying he will not resign after the tragic – and preventable – death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak.

Awaab died in December 2020 as a result of a severe respiratory condition due to prolonged exposure to mould in his home, which was managed by Rochdale Boroughwide Housing.

In a statement released on Thursday 17 November, Mr Swarbrick said he was "sorry to Awaab's family for their loss" and said "no apology will ever be enough".

Mr Swarbrick said the board of directors at RBH has given him their "full backing and trust" and that the organisation had made a "raft of changes following the death of Awaab".

 

 

Mr Swarbricks statement in full:

"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.”

 

 

Rochdale Borough Council's cabinet member for housing, Councillor Daniel Meredith, wrote to Mr Swarbrick urging him to resign.

In the letter, he said: “As the lead member for housing in our borough I feel that I am left with little option but to ask you to reflect on your position. I say this because I have no confidence that you and your board are equipped to win back the confidence of your tenants.”

Speaking on Wednesday (16 November), housing secretary Michael Gove said it “beggared belief” that Mr Swarbrick was still in his £185,000-a-year post, whilst Rochdale MP Sir Tony Lloyd spoke in the House of Commons, saying that “the issue of mould growth in properties both private, social housing etc. is a real one.”

Mr Lloyd added: “This has implications that go way beyond this tragic case of the two-year-old boy in my constituency.”

The chair of the RBH board of directors, Alison Tumilty, also released a statement last night. She said "we extend our deepest sympathies and say sorry to Faisal and Aisha" and that RBH "let them down". She also said that the organisation will "continue conversations with Michael Gove and the Housing Ombudsman to discuss what happened to Awaab"

Ms Tumilty's statement in full:

"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.”

 

The Housing Ombudsman, Richard Blakeway, has written to Mr Swarbrick, following the coroner’s verdict.

The Ombudsman has reviewed the current casework about the landlord and instructed his team to expedite three investigations.

For the first time, the investigation team will use a power in the Housing Ombudsman Scheme that enables them to gather any information required including interviews with staff.

The letter also says he will also be exercising his powers to carry out a further investigation to see if this complaint is “indicative of wider failure within the landlord.”