A petition calling for a new law to prevent any more children dying from exposure to damp and mould in social housing is nearing 100,000 signatures after just five days. An inquest into the death of Awaab Ishak prompted an outcry this week after it found he died in December 2020 from a respiratory condition caused by mould in the one-bedroom housing association flat where he lived with his parents, Faisal Abdullah and Aisha Amin, in Rochdale, Greater Manchester.
The inquest into Awaab’s death heard concerns were repeatedly raised to landlord Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) about mould in the flat on the town’s Freehold estate. As a result of the inquest’s findings, Gareth Swarbrick, the chief executive of RBH, was removed from his position on Saturday.
Following the toddler's inquest, the Manchester Evening News partnered with housing charity Shelter to launch a petition calling for the introduction of Awaab's Law, which would compel housing associations not to allow anyone, particularly children, to live in unhabitable conditions like Awaab and his family had to endure for long.
