Social housing bosses will be required to study for qualifications as part of a drive to professionalise the sector in the wake Awaab Ishak's tragic death in a mouldy flat in Rochdale. Housing Secretary Michael Gove has announced the changes after recognising that social housing residents were being 'inexcusably let down'.
The Cabinet minister said the shift would 'drive up standards' across the board after Awaab's death. The toddler died in December 2020 from a respiratory condition caused by mould at his home on the Freehold estate.
The Manchester Evening News began campaigning for Awaab's Law, following the inquest into the two-year-old's death. Social landlord Rochdale Boroughwide Housing knew of the mould problem for several months before he died, but failed to act.
