The coalition government's public spending squeeze contributed to the neglect faced by social housing tenants, Communities Secretary Michael Gove has suggested.
Mr Gove admitted the mistakes of successive governments had led to tragedies such as the death of toddler Awaab Ishak in 2020, caused by mould in his family's flat in Rochdale, and the Grenfell Tower fire. His comments follow the publication of a damming report by the Housing Ombudsman arising from a special investigation into landlord Rochdale Boroughwide Housing commissioned after the inquest into Awaab's death.
Awaab lived with his parents and family, who came to the UK from Sudan, on Rochdale's Freehold estate and died in December 2020 after prolonged exposure to mould and damp in the flat. The report slammed the landlord's 'wholly unacceptable' attitude towards asylum seekers and highlighted a 'disturbing picture of residents being judged entirely by staff members' held prejudices and lazy assumptions'.
