Shameless housing boss sacked after outrage over the death of a 2-year-old boy living in a mold-infested apartment

Shameless housing boss Gareth Swarbrick was sacked yesterday after an outcry over the death of a two-year-old boy who lived in a mold-infested flat.

Mr Swabrick refused to step down as CEO of Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH), despite national anger.

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His bosses initially supported Mr Swarbrick with £185,000 a year after an inquiry found Awaab Ishak’s house was “unsuitable for people”.

But the board of the housing cooperative said yesterday that its stance was “no longer tenable”.

It added: “We deeply regret the death of Awaab.

“His passing must be a wake-up call for everyone in the housing, social care and health communities.”

Awaab’s family said the ax was overdue.

In a statement read at a vigil outside RBH headquarters, her lawyer said: “The fact that RBH’s chief executive had to be fired rather than resign speaks volumes for the family.

“They find it totally unacceptable that the board has expressed any confidence in him at all. The family still believes that much more needs to be done.”

He said the family felt that Awaab’s death “must not be in vain” and that they did not want another family to suffer the “devastation” that they suffered.

A government source hailed the decision to sack Mr Swabrick because of his “profound failures as RBH CEO”.

They said: “Your board still has very serious questions to answer.

“Why did you give him your full support after the coroner’s report and only 24 hours ago?

“And why have they failed to answer basic questions about the state of their housing stock?”

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The December 2020 inquest into Awaab’s death found that his parents first reported the mold to homeowners in 2017.

Again and again they sought help in vain.

Awaab’s father, Faisal Abdullah, said they felt “absolutely trapped” when he was taken to hospital with breathing problems. He couldn’t be saved.

Housing Secretary Michael Gove slammed RBH over the scandal.

He writes to councils and housing associations to demand action on damp and moldy homes.

He said: “Everyone has the right to feel safe in their home. The death of a child like Awaab Ishak must never happen again.”