Rochdale council bosses are calling for a place on the board of Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) following the sacking of its chief executive in the wake of the Awaab Ishak tragedy. Housing chief Coun Danny Meredith has written to the organisation saying he and council leader Neil Emmott want to help ‘deliver life-saving improvements’ and play a role in appointing an interim chief executive following the exit of Gareth Swarbrick.
The pair also urge the current board and directors to step down. Little Awaab died aged just two after prolonged exposure to mould at his home on the Freehold estate led to fatal breathing difficulties, an inquest found last week.
Following widespread criticism, RBH issued a statement admitting it had ‘got things badly wrong’ - but insisted the organisation was ‘caring’ and ‘abhors racism in any shape or form’. However, in a letter to Alison Tumilty, RBH board chair, Coun Meredith says councillors still have serious concerns about the way the mutual - which took over the authority’s social housing stock 10 years ago - is being run.
