Swarbrick, chief executive of Rochdale Boroughwide Housing, a social landlord, said late on Thursday “I will not be resigning”, despite calls to parliament for him to resign and the launch of an investigation into possible “systemic failings” at the organisation. But in a clear sign the government was unlikely to accept him continuing in his post, the source said: “It’s shocking that Gareth Swarbrick is still in the job.” On Tuesday, a coroner found that exposure to persistent black mold on the walls of the family’s rental home was the cause of the infant’s death in 2020 and that the landlord had repeatedly failed to fix it, blaming the mold on the “family lifestyle.” The bathroom had no window, the fan did not work efficiently and the kitchen window, which had no mechanical ventilation, opened onto a shared hallway. Awaab’s father had told him to “paint on it”. Michael Gove, the secretary of state for uplift, housing and communities, told parliament he believed Awaab’s family, originally from Sudan, “were victims of prejudice”. A local MP also revealed that constituents living in another RBH property had this week sent him pictures of walls “encrusted in black mould”, which their doctor concluded had made two children “severely ill”. “I won’t quit”: Gareth Swarbrick, chief executive of Rochdale Boroughwide Housing. Photo: Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH)/PA The housing ombudsman, an England-wide regulator, has announced an investigation into possible “systemic” failings at the social landlord, which looks after more than 12,000 homes. Swarbrick this week spoke to Gove about the Awaab Ishak case, after which Gove told parliament: “During that conversation, it became even clearer to me that there are systemic problems with the governance and leadership of this organisation.” . Gove previously said it “required conviction” Swarbrick was still in place. Swarbrick, who earns £157,000 a year, said in a video statement on Thursday that he would not resign and said “the debate around my position has begun to overshadow the most important part of all of this, which is that a family has lost a child of “. He apologized in the statement “to Awaab’s family for their loss”, before saying the social landlord’s board had given him “its full support and confidence to continue to oversee the improvements and changes needed within RBH”. In response to the statement, a senior government source told the Guardian on Friday: “Rochdale Boroughwide Housing repeatedly ignored a family’s pleas for help, leading to the tragic death of a two-year-old child, Awaab Ishak. It’s shocking that Gareth Swarbrick is still in work. His position is unfounded.” Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The case has sparked a national debate about standards in social housing and has echoes of the Grenfell disaster, which was preceded by a social landlord failing to properly listen to tenants’ complaints. Coroner Joanne Kearsley said Awaab’s death should be a “defining moment” for the UK housing sector. Around 450,000 homes in England have problems with condensation and mould. Diane Abbott, the former shadow home secretary, told parliament on Wednesday that if the housing chief “had any conscience, he would resign”. Kelly Darlington, the solicitor for Awaab’s family, said: “I think he needs to take responsibility and there needs to be some responsibility from Rochdale Boroughwide Housing as a whole.” Swarbrick had said he supported the government’s commitment to “strengthen the Decent Homes Standard and the importance of the tenant’s voice”, adding: “We have made a fundamental change in our blight policy. Equality is at the heart of what we do as a mutual housing society and we will continue to fight for greater inclusion and equality.” In a separate statement, Alison Tumilty, chairman of the RBH board, said Awaab’s death was “a tragedy of the highest order… We made mistakes and we are trying to fix them. We have complete confidence in Gareth’s leadership. He has the confidence of the board. He has extensive knowledge of the Rochdale sector and communities.” It is unclear whether Tumilty had also consulted the landlord’s “representative body”, which includes tenants.
