Gove’s call with housing boss ‘unsatisfactory’ after boy’s mould death

Awaab Ishak died in 2020 as a result of mould in his home (Image: Getty/MEN)Housing Secretary Michael Gove held phone conversations with Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) CEO Gareth Swarbrick which were “unsatisfactory”. ITV news’s Daniel Hewitt claims Government sources said Mr Gove was left unsatisfied after a call with the housing association. It comes after Awaab Ishak died in 2020, eight days after his second birthday, as a direct result of black mould in the flat he lived in.His father repeatedly raised the issue with Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) but no action was taken.Following the death Mr Gove said the death was ‘an unacceptable tragedy’ and that ‘it beggars belief’ that the chief executive of the social housing provider was still in office.MORE TO FOLLOW…A coroner said the death of two-year-old Awaab should be a “defining moment” for the UK’s housing sector. England’s housing ombudsman, Richard Blakeway, said landlords must make plans to tackle the ‘real risk of worsening damp and mould issues’ as energy bills soar.In a statement, Awaab’s family said their lives had “changed forever” and were left “feeling absolutely worthless at the hands of RBH”.”We cannot tell you how many health professionals we’ve cried in front of and RBH staff we have pleaded to, expressing concern for the conditions ourselves and Awaab have been living in,” they said. Awaab Ishak’s father repeatedly raised the issue with Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (Image: MEN)