The housing secretary admits there is 'such a clear need' for the law to change in the wake of Awaab Ishak's death. The toddler died aged two in December 2020 following prolonged exposure to mould at his family's home in Rochdale, after their social landlord failed to act for several months.
The Manchester Evening News has since been campaigning for Awaab's Law in his memory. It would set strict timelines for damp and mould to be inspected and repaired, ensure priority is given for new social housing bids when an existing home poses a health risk, and lead to clear information for all tenants on their rights.
Michael Gove first gave his support to the campaign on a visit to Rochdale last November. In a letter to Rochdale coroner Joanne Kearsley earlier this month, he confirmed plans to submit an amendment to the Social Housing Regulation Bill, following the Awaab's Law campaign.
Speaking to the Northern Agenda podcast during his visit to Manchester for the Convention of the North this week, Mr Gove insisted that making Awaab's Law a reality was 'exactly the route we want to go down'. He said: "Yes, there's legislation that is currently going through Parliament, which is there to improve the regulation of social housing.
"Manchester Evening News, Awaab's family, the lawyers who have acted for Awaab's family, all have been very clear about the sorts of changes that they think would help us to ensure that this sort of terrible tragedy never happens again, and I'm exploring now how we can make sure that Awaab's law is part of the legislation that we're currently looking at.
Listen to the full interview with Michael Gove here:
"Those specific issues are things that we're looking at precisely at the moment. And I don't want to pre-empt announcements that we're going to make in Parliament. But that is exactly the route we want to go down."
Asked how soon it could become law, Mr Gove added: "Once the bill is law, I'll update you, the Manchester Evening News and others with the timetable. I know it can sometimes be frustrating when there is such a clear need for laws to change, and Parliament sometimes takes its time.
"But we will update the Manchester Evening News and your other readers with progress in this area." More than 172,000 people have signed our Change.org petition calling for Awaab's Law since it was launched.
Following his letter to Ms Kearsley, meetings have been taking place between representatives of Awaab's family and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to discuss Awaab's Law. It's understood an amendment to the Social Housing Regulation Bill will be announced before its next reading in Parliament, which is expected in February.
Mr Gove also used the Convention of the North to announce £30m to improve social housing in two regions, with £15m going to Greater Manchester and the rest going to the West Midlands. The cash is being handed to the regions' mayors, Andy Burnham and Andy Street.
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