Bosses at the housing association which did not act before the death of toddler Awaab Ishak failed to grasp the scale of change needed after the tragedy, MPs heard today.
Michael Gove said he had met with bosses at Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) after a coroner ruled Awaab has died as a result of black mould in his home - but was disappointed with their response.
Awaab, two, died in December 2020 after his parents' pleas to deal with the mould in their flat in Rochdale were ignored, a coroner ruled last week.
The toddler's parents, Aisha Aminin and Faisal Abdullah, had repeatedly told RBH that their home was dangerous.
At the weekend RBH chief executive Gareth Swarbrick was finally sacked after the board ruled his position was untenable.
Mr Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities told members of the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee: "Even when in RBH's case they had all these problems brought to their attention the board felt it was appropriate to keep the chief executive in place.
"You shouldn't just blame an individual, but the chief executive and the board should carry the can.
"But in the meetings I had with the then-chief executive and the chair I wasn't convinced that they appreciated the scale of the change that was required in order to serve people well in Rochdale."
Mr Gove told members of the cross-party committee that he had written to six housing trusts that had "most conspicuously" let tenants down.
The cabinet member said that a strengthened regulator would be able to issue unlimited fines, and admitted: "I wish that this legislation had come forward earlier."
He said that housing associations' first priority should be to their tenants, and said: "As Awaab Ishak's case reminds us, there are far too many who are living in conditions that aren't decent."
Mr Gove warned that they would no longer be able to "fob off responsibility" under a shake-up being pushed through by the government.
The committee heard that MPs across the country commonly hear about issues similar to those endured by Awaab's family, with mounting calls for stronger action to punish rogue landlords.
In a statement on Saturday, RBH said: “Our original instincts were for Gareth to stay on to see the organisation through this difficult period and to make the necessary changes, but we all recognise that this is no longer tenable."
The statement continued: “As an organisation we are deeply sorry for the death of Awaab and devastated that it happened in one of our homes. We must ensure this can never happen again. His death needs to be a wake-up call for everyone in housing, social care and health."
Awaab died from a respiratory condition in December 2020 after his family repeatedly reported their one-bedroom flat was dangerous.
Mr Gove previously said it "beggars belief" that the chief executive was still in post.
And Tory MP Chris Clarkson described RBH on Thursday as "modern-day slumlords", saying that the chief executive should face the consequences of failings.
Downing Street said the circumstances in which Awaab died are "unacceptable" and the government will "no longer stand for" landlords failing their tenants.
Last week Coroner Joanne Kearsley ruled: "Awaab Ishak died as a result of a severe respiratory condition caused due to prolonged exposure to mould in his home environment.
"Action to treat and prevent the mould was not taken. His severe respiratory condition led to Awaab going into respiratory arrest."
