Housing boss Gareth Swarbrick has finally been sacked after refusing to resign following the death of a two-year-old boy from exposure mould (Picture: PA)

The chief executive of a housing organisation has been removed ‘with immediate effect’ after a two-year-old boy died from exposure to mould.

Earlier this week, an inquest into the death of Awaab Ishak found he died in December 2020 from a respiratory condition caused by mould in the one-bedroom housing association flat where he lived with his parents, Faisal Abdullah and Aisha Amin, in Rochdale, Greater Manchester.

Gareth Swarbrick, chief executive of Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH), initially refused to resign from his position after it was revealed the organisation ignored over 600 complaints regarding damp and black mould while he was in charge.

Yet despite claiming to have the full support of the board less than 24 hours earlier, today Mr Swarbrick has been forcibly removed from his position after RBH claimed it was ‘no longer tenable’ for him to stay on.

In a statement, Rochdale Boroughwide Housing said: ‘The Board has taken the decision to remove Gareth Swarbrick from his post as chief executive of RBH with immediate effect.

‘We will now work to appoint an external interim chief executive.

‘Our original instincts were for Gareth to stay on to see the organisation through this difficult period and to make the necessary changes, but we all recognise that this is no longer tenable.

Awaab Ishak died a week after his second birthday from a respiratory condition caused by black mould, a coroner ruled this week (Picture: PA)

When the boy’s parents contacted management about the mould, they were told to paint over it (Picture: MEN Media)

‘The coroner noted that RBH had made changes as a result of the tragic death of Awaab.

‘Under new leadership RBH will continue to embed these changes and to continue to drive further improvements to our homes and to our communications with tenants.’

Mr Swarbrick became the subject of an intense public backlash after it was revealed he collected a salary of over £185,000 while forcing his tenants to live in inhumane conditions.

During the inquest in Awaab’s death, Coroner Joanne Kearsley told the court that when his father Faisal Abdullah reported the mould issue back in 2017, he was told by management to simply paint over it.

Ms Kearsley said the toddler’s death should be a ‘defining moment’ for the housing sector and Number 10 called the circumstances in which the youngster died as ‘unacceptable’.

Following an investigation by the Manchester Evening News, Mr Swarbrick’s role in facilitating the conditions which led to young Awaab’s death soon became a matter of national scrutiny, leading to him facing calls to resign from both Labour and Conservative MPs.

Despite claiming to have the full support of the board on Friday, Mr Swarbrick was sacked from his position just 24 hours later (Picture: MEN Media)

When news of the scandal first broke, Housing Secretary Michael Gove said it ‘beggars belief’ that Mr Swarbrick was allowed to remain in his post.

He found an unlikely ally in veteran Labour MP Diane Abbott, who tweeted on Wednesday that ‘In the end cuts & failure to strengthen the law is responsible for Awaab Ishak dying from mould. 

‘But Michael Gove is right about one thing. CEO of the housing association, Gareth Swarbrick, should resign.’

Following news of his resignation, a Government source said the sacking of Gareth Swarbrick as chief executive of Rochdale Boroughwide Housing was ‘welcome’, but the board still had questions to answer.

The source said: ‘It is welcome that Gareth Swarbrick has been removed for his profound failings as RBH CEO, but RBH and their board still have very serious questions to answer.

‘Why did they give him their full backing after the coroner’s report and as recently as 24 hours ago?

‘And why have they failed to answer basic questions about the state of their housing stock? The Secretary of State for Levelling Up will continue to take a very close interest in RBH and will stand up for tenants as necessary.’

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Gareth Swarbrick was sacked as CEO of Rochdale Boroughwide Housing just 24 hours after claiming to have the full support of the board.