Works would have been carried out at Awaab Ishak's home sooner 'had we known what we know now', a senior housing boss told his inquest. In a final day of evidence before coroner Joanne Kearsley gives her conclusion next week, Nadhia Khan said Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) has looked to 'change things for the better' following the tragedy that unfolded two years ago.
Rochdale Coroners' Court heard that Awaab died aged just two on December 21, 2020, after suffering a cardiac arrest which followed fatal breathing difficulties. Home Office pathologist Dr Philip Lumb previously told the inquest that mould was 'the most plausible, or only, explanation' for the issue.
Ms Khan, director of customer and community at RBH, told the court the housing association has a large amount of ageing housing stock built before the 1980s. This includes the Freehold estate, including the Ilminster block where Awaab lived with his family, which Ms Khan confirmed there was no plan to knock down.
Following Awaab's death, RBH installed additional ventilation in the kitchen and bathroom at the property, Ms Khan told the inquest. Those were recommendations made by RBH inspector Andrew Foster following a visit in November 2020, the court heard yesterday, but the housing association's policy about legal claims meant the work would not be carried out without having agreement from the family's solicitior.
That response never came, and Anthony Hodari solicitors had in fact dropped the case two months earlier. Asked by coroner Joanne Kearsley whether RBH had 'taken on learning' from Awaab's death, Ms Khan replied: "Absolutely. This has been a big learning experience for us to change things for the better."
She explained that the approach social landlords had taken throughout her career had been that damp and mould issues were 'thought to be a result off lifestyle' - but that approach is changing, in line with the advice given by housing ombudsman Richard Blakeway. Last Friday, he told the court it could be 'too simplistic' to blame residents for damp and mould, and he urged housing associations to be more proactive.
Ms Khan admitted workers may have had a 'degree of preconception' about damp and mould being caused by lifestyle before inspecting properties. However, coroner Ms Kearsley suggested activities like cooking and showering meant there was 'an element of lifestyle in anybody's home that will cause condensation', and Ms Khan told the court surveys on Freehold showed a lack of sufficient ventilation at several properties.
A number of properties on the Freehold estate have now been fitted with 'positive input ventilation' systems to further improve ventilation since Awaab's death, the court heard, while smart meters for humidity are also being considered by RBH. Asked specifically about the battle Awaab's family had with damp and mould at their home, Ms Khan said: "I think knowing what we know now, works should have been carried out earlier."
The executive told the court that workers are now more proactive in looking out for damp and mould when carrying out other checks and repairs, while the policy not to carry out repairs on homes subject to legal action has now also changed. "If the family or case is considered high risk we will go and do that work," Ms Khan said.
Following the Manchester Evening News' investigation about damp and mould on Freehold in the summer, RBH said it would visit every property to check for the issue. The court heard workers have now attempted to visit all 376 homes on the estate, Ms Khan said, although they have not been given access to 130 of those.
Ms Khan spoke of work recently taken on to improve energy efficiency on an estate in Smallbridge, which worked out at a cost of £80,000 per property, and she described the work that needed to be done with Greater Manchester having a new energy efficiency target coming into effect in 2030. "The amount we need to invest will depend on the age and profile of the properties we have," she said.
Malcolm Galloway, barrister representing RBH, showed Ms Khan a photo which included what she described as 'a tool used for ritual bathing' that could be carried out before prayer - but the image was not part of the evidence in the case, Rochdale Coroners Court confirmed. The inquest has previously heard evidence from RBH staff including John Tilbey, who said he 'assumed' a bucket was being used in that way, but Mr Abdullah told the court his family took showers and said the practice was not in his family's culture.
Sally Chambers, who was Homechoice coordinator at RBH at the time, told the court that the priority Awaab's family had been allocated was 'correct'. They were assigned the second-highest band for rehousing priority based on 'overcrowding', with the family's second child on the way while living in a one-bedroom flat.
Ms Chambers said tenants could expect to wait 'six to 12 months' on average for suitable property in that band. The court heard that Rochdale suffered from a slowing down in social properties being built from the 1980s onwards, as well as the 'right to buy' policy removing availability of council houses.
Ms Chambers said that 7,000 people are on the borough's register for a new social property, while Ms Khan described an 'acute shortage of housing' in the town - with just 6% of housing stock becoming available each year on average. The court also heard evidence from Kathryn Allen, IT applications manager at RBH, who explained that the housing association is trying to reduce the number of systems it uses - with a focus on all staff having access to CRM.
It comes as the housing association has already accepted staff should have been using that system to log information, with some workers unaware of important details - including whether Awaab lived at the flat. Ms Chambers said: "I think in this instance there multiple systems. People were not aware of which system to log information in." Proceeding.
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