Michael Gove has warned the condition of 'at least' tens of thousands of homes could be 'unsafe' ahead of his visit to Rochdale today following the tragic case of Awaab Ishak.
Appearing on breakfast TV this morning, the levelling-up secretary said there were a 'significant number of properties' in the country that are in 'poor condition' - but said he may still be willing to 'work with' Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH), which owned the flat linked to toddler Awaab's death, to make improvements.
Mr Gove said he would be holding talks with RBH during a visit to Rochdale this afternoon (Thursday). He told viewers he feared tens of thousands of properties are 'not in the state that they should be'. It follows a Manchester Evening News investigation - and an inquest - into the tragic case of Awaab Ishak.
RBH has come under intense criticism following the toddler's tragic death, which was found to have been a direct result of prolonged exposure to mould.
Coroner Joanne Kearsley ruled last week that RBH, which owns and manages the Freehold estate where Awaab lived, should have carried out repairs on the property when it knew about mould.
The housing association's Chief Executive, Gareth Swarbrick has since been sacked, after facing mounting pressure for him to resign.
Mr Gove - Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities - has now announced that RBH will be stripped of any new government funding until it can 'prove it is a responsible landlord'.
The housing group will not be awarded its expected £1m funding from the Affordable Homes Programme (AHP) between 2021 and 2026, or receive any new contracts for new homes until the Regulator of Social Housing has concluded its investigation, Mr Gove revealed.
RBH was allocated £4.7m from the previous AHP between 2016 and 2021. One active site is still being built out of which the government will not stall progress.
Close monitoring of RBH tenancies will continue to be undertaken by the government, who will work with the Regulator and Ombudsman to ensure tenants have appropriate housing.
As part of a wider crackdown on poor standards, Mr Gove will also block any housing provider that breaches the regulator’s consumer standards from new AHP funding until they make improvements. Mr Gove will also consider stripping providers of existing AHP funding, unless construction has already started on site.
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Mr Gove said it was 'important' to ensure 'everyone has a safe, clean, and warm home'.
Asked how he would ensure other families are not affected by poor flat conditions, he said: "Awaab's parents went through hell. They lost their two-year old son as a result of the terrible conditions in which they were living. The organisation responsible, Rochdale Boroughwide Housing, has to make sure that a situation like this never occurs again.
"It and a number of other housing associations have far too many homes in which there is damp and mould and people living in inadequate conditions. We're saying to them, you won't get the money that you have asked for to expand until you can make sure that your residents, your tenants, are living in proper, decent, homes."
The Housing Ombudsman has since launched an investigation into (RBH) following reports of three 'high or medium risk' complaints about damp and mould.
Mr Gove told viewers he will travel to Rochdale today to meet with housing bosses and 'see the situation on the ground'.
He added: “The chief executive after this tragic case has resigned, I’m going to Rochdale later today in order to talk to them and talk to others about the situation there. But my view at the moment is this organisation does not deserve to get this additional funding.”
Asked if the organisation should still be operating at all, Mr Gove said: “I’m going to talk to them later today. I’ve had conversations already with the chair of the organisation and conversations with the outgoing chief executive and I want to see the situation on the ground.
“If the penny has dropped, if the organisation is ready to learn appropriate lessons to improve and there are signs they fully appreciate the need to improve, we will work with them, and indeed with Rochdale council, in order to make improvements.”
Speaking on the programe, he admitted it is likely there are 'at least' tens of thousands of unsafe homes in poor conditions across the UK.
He said: “I fear it’s the case that there are tens of thousands of properties that are not in the state that they should be.” Pressed if tens of thousands was correct, he said: “Yes, at least.
“We know there are a significant number of properties – some of which were built in the 60s and 70s and are in poor conditions, but some of which have been poorly maintained – that simply need to be properly repaired and properly maintained.”
More than 120,000 people have now signed the Manchester Evening News' petition calling for Awaab's Law.
You can sign it here.
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