The housing affiliation that managed the flat during which toddler Awaab Ishak was killed by mould obtained 106 formal complaints about damp or mould of their properties over the past yr, Sky News can reveal.
Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) confirmed the determine in a press release the place it additionally mentioned it takes care of round 12,500 houses.
A former RBH worker, who resigned due to a “toxic culture” throughout the organisation, disputes the determine for the quantity of complaints and claims there might be “hundreds more” than what has been recorded.
The housing affiliation, which has come underneath hearth over the demise of Awaab resulting from extended publicity to damp and mildew, mentioned they’re “proactively contacting” all of their prospects to remind them about how one can contact them in the event that they expertise any damp or mould of their houses.
Speaking to Sky News, “Eleanor”, who needed to guard her id, claimed: “RBH have been putting profit before people for a long time. They try to cut corners and make them more cash-rich. I’ve been in meetings where it has all been about cost-cutting and how much can we save?”
She added: “That has a knock-on effect to the tenants because they’re not going to get that level of service they need. It’s a death by a thousand cuts.”
When requested if she felt others might die by the hands of RBH’s properties if there is not drastic change, she replied: “Absolutely. If it’s happened once, it can happen again.”
When requested to substantiate what number of complaints about damp and mildew it had obtained in a yr, RBH mentioned in its assertion to Sky News: “We look after around 12,500 homes and over the last 12 months we have had 106 complaints about damp and mould.
“We present a full response to preliminary complaints on common inside 5 days.”
‘We’re respiratory all of it into our lungs’
Over the final week Sky News has witnessed at the least six houses with mould and damp on the Freehold Estate, the place Awaab and his household had been dwelling between 2017 and 2020, even two years on from his demise.
Uwezo lives with younger and previous individuals within the flat beneath and is now anxious for his mum’s well being due to the mould which has unfold from his lavatory to the kitchen.
He instructed Sky News: “It’s not obviously safe because we have among us grandchildren and seeing what happened to that poor child, it’s not safe to see this happening like this. The ventilation is too old it needs to be changed.”
He added: “We’re breathing it all into our lungs. My mother already doesn’t have the best health and so it’s really heartbreaking to see my mum living in this environment.”
Housing secretary places RBH on discover
Concern about RBH’s potential was flagged by Housing Secretary Michael Gove at a choose committee listening to.
The MP has put RBH on discover after they sacked their chief government on Saturday – however he now feels the blame goes past Gareth Swarbrick.
He instructed the committee: “Even when in RBH’s case they had these problems brought to their attention the board thought it appropriate to keep the chief executive in place, and it seems to me you shouldn’t blame one individual, ultimately chief executive and the board should carry the can.”
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Asked about Mr Gove’s remarks, a spokesperson for RBH mentioned: “The priority for the board right now is to bring in an external interim chief executive to lead the organisation through this period of change and they are working hard to make that happen as soon as possible.
“Of course the board can be centered by itself function and they are going to be discussing any modifications that should be made as soon as the interim CEO is in place.”
They mentioned round three-quarters of RBH staff stay in Rochdale Borough and lots of are RBH tenants.
They added that in an worker survey over 85% of 400 staff who responded mentioned they felt nicely supported by RBH, over 80% mentioned they had been happy with how RBH helps prospects and colleagues and over 90% felt trusted to do their job.
Source: information.sky.com”