The boss of the social housing landlord of the flowery flat that killed Awaab Ishak has been sacked after days of mounting pressure from the two-year-old’s family, ministers and MPs.
Gareth Swarbrick, who issued a defiant statement on Thursday refusing to stand down, was sacked by the board of Rochdale Broughwide Housing on Saturday.
“The board has taken the decision to remove Gareth Swarbrick from his role as chief executive of RBH with immediate effect,” the owner said in a statement. “We will now work to appoint an external interim chief executive.”
The sacking came as tenant campaigners prepared to gather for a 2pm vigil outside Rochdale Borough Council offices, where they planned to demand Swarbrick’s removal and call for a charge of corporate homicide against the owner.
On Tuesday, a coroner found that exposure to persistent black mold on the walls of the family’s rental home was the cause of the baby’s death in 2020 and that the landlord had repeatedly failed to fix it, blaming the mold to the “family lifestyle”.
Senior Coroner Joanne Kearsley said the “attractive, lively and endearing” two-year-old died from prolonged exposure to mold in his family’s flat and his death should be a “defining moment” for the UK housing sector.
The bathroom had no window, the fan did not work properly and the kitchen window, which had no mechanical ventilation, faced a communal corridor. Awaab’s father had been told to “paint over it”, and the family, originally from Sudan, claim they were victims of racial prejudice.
The ruling prompted an angry response from the government, with Michael Gove, the secretary of state for equalisation, housing and communities, saying it “beggars belief” that Swarbrick remained in office .
But Swarbrick, who was paid £157,000 a year, refused to resign on Thursday, saying: “I’m not resigning.” He was given a vote of confidence by housing association chairman Alison Tumilty, who said: “We have full confidence in Gareth’s leadership.”
On Friday, Labour’s Rochdale MP Tony Lloyd said Awaab’s death was “preventable and inexcusable” and that the chief executive “holding on to his job is not right”.
Amid growing anger over Swarbrick’s refusal to take responsibility, Awaab’s parents, Faisal Abdullah and Aisha Amin, said the landlord, who looks after more than 12,000 homes, failed to understand “the gravity of the situation” and they said: “He must be held accountable and be seen to do”.
On Saturday, a statement from the RBH board, but also from its representative body, which includes tenants, said: “Our original instincts were for Gareth to stay on to see the organization through this difficult period and make the necessary changes, but we all recognize it. that this is no longer sustainable.”
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A government source welcomed the sacking, saying: “It is welcome that Gareth Swarbrick has been removed for his profound failings as chief executive of RBH, but RBH and its board still have very serious questions to answer. Why did they give him full support after the coroner’s report and only 24 hours ago?And why have they not answered basic questions about the state of his housing stock?Secretary of State to step up will continue to take a strong interest in RBH and advocate for tenants as necessary.
RBH said: “The coroner noted that RBH had made changes as a result of Awaab’s tragic death. Under new leadership, RBH will continue to incorporate these changes and continue to drive further improvements to our homes and our communications with tenants”.
“We are committed to sharing what we have learned about the health impact of damp, condensation and mold with the social housing sector, and supporting change across the sector. We will work with other local agencies and national and central government to implement the wider changes recommended by the coroner.
“As an organisation, we deeply regret Awaab’s death and are devastated that it happened in one of our homes. We must ensure that this never happens again. His death should be a wake-up call to everyone in housing, social care and health”.