Last April, Faisal Abdullah and Aisha Amin grieved for the loss of their 'happy, smiley' son. He had died, days after his second birthday, poisoned by the mould which caked the walls of his Rochdale home - mould which their landlords, Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH), had failed to take responsibility for and fix.
While they mourned, the chief executive of RBH, Gareth Swarbrick was enjoying his third consecutive, significant pay rise. From the end of March 2019 to April 2021, he saw his total pay package, including pension contributions, soar from £144,000 a year to £185,000.
As the leading officer at the housing association, overseeing all of its operations, it's not unreasonable to conclude the buck for RBH's failures should stop with him. But Mr Swarbrick failed to turn up to a single day of Awaab's inquest.
