Rishi Sunak vows to 'toughen up regime' to tackle…

Rishi Sunak vows to 'toughen up regime' to tackle substandard housing in light of Awaab Ishak death

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has vowed to crack down on rogue landlords who fail to uphold decent standards of living following the death of toddler Awaab Ishak.

Two-year-old Awaab died in December 2020 from a respiratory condition caused by prolonged exposure to mould at his family's one-bedroom housing association flat where he lived with his parents, Faisal Abdullah and Aisha Amin, in Rochdale.

During a visit to East Lancashire this weekend, Mr Sunak was asked what support the government is going to give people who live in older, energy-inefficient homes and to ensure private and social landlords make homes liveable.

Since Awaab’s death, ministers have announced they will review landlord guidance on the health risks of damp and mould as more cases appearing to share similarities come to light. A number of social housing providers have also backed a new scheme which aims to drive up housing standards.

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Earlier this month, an inquest into the death of Luke Brooks, 27, from Oldham, was opened following suspicion it was linked to mould at his home. His parents made a number of complaints about the property being in a state of 'disrepair' and Greater Manchester Police confirmed a force probe is ongoing.

Rishi Sunak visited Greater Manchester on Saturday (Conservative Party)

Awaab's case sparked widespread anger and led to the MEN's campaign for the introduction of Awaab's Law, setting strict timelines for damp and mould to be inspected and repaired, which is in the process of becoming an Act of Parliament.

The Prime Minister spoke out about the tragedy during a visit to Colne, Lancs Live reports. His visit at the weekend came following a separate visit to Greater Manchester on Saturday which members of the press were not invited to cover.

Mr Sunak told people in Lancashire: "It's the right thing to do to help people improve the efficiency of their homes because it cuts their energy bills and it's also good for helping us reduce our emissions so we're spending about £6bn during this parliament to improve the energy efficiency of hundreds and hundreds of thousands of homes.

"That's happening in lots of different ways. You can get a £5,000 grant if you're replacing your boiler all the way through to the schemes for social housing and you can look online about your council or your housing association who have been given grants by the government to help improve the energy efficiency of people's homes.

Awaab Ishak died just over a week after his second birthday in December 2020 (MEN Media)

"Those grants can be worth up to £10,000 and they can save you hundreds of pounds on your energy bills."

Mr Sunak described the death of Awaab Ishak as "an awful situation" and added that the government is passing Awaab's Law as part of legislation "which is going to toughen up the regime to make sure homes are fit for people to live in because mould and damp is unacceptable".

He added: "We've already taken some steps. The housing secretary at the time launched an urgent review, and what we said is that those providers whose homes were clearly not of an appropriate standard wouldn't be able to apply for government grants."

The Social Housing Regulation Bill will make provision about the regulation of social housing; about the terms of approved schemes for the investigation of housing complaints; and for connected purposes. The bill is in its final stages, having already been passed by the House of Commons and the House of Lords, and will then receive Royal Assent before being made an Act of Parliament.

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