Andy Burnham has questioned why the government is pulling £1m of funding from the housing association which failed to fix mould in Awaab Ishak's home. The Greater Manchester mayor said that the two-year-old's death should be a 'defining moment', but investment will be needed to improve social housing.
Housing secretary Michael Gove announced that Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) has been stripped of a £1m government grant this week. It comes after the organisation which owns and manages the Freehold estate where Awaab Ishak lived was criticised by a coroner last week for failing to act.
The toddler died as a direct result of prolonged exposure to mould, according to coroner Joanne Kearsley, who ruled RBH should have dealt with the issue. The housing association, whose chief executive Gareth Swarbrick has since been sacked, has now lost £1m of Affordable Homes Programme funding.
