Critics have called Gareth Swarbrick’s salary ‘disgusting’ (Picture: RBH / PA)
The chief executive of a housing society in charge of a mouldy flat which caused the death of a young boy was paid a six-figure salary that same year.
Awaab Ishak, 2, died in December 2020 from a respiratory condition caused by mould in the one-bedroom flat where he lived with his parents in Rochdale, Greater Manchester.
An inquest at Rochdale Coroner’s Court into the boy’s death yesterday heard dad Faisal Abdullah had previously made complaints to Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) asking them to fix the issue.
But it has now been revealed, through RBH’s financial statements for the year 2020/2021, the housing association’s chief executive Gareth Swarbrick was paid £170,000 the same year Awaab died.
His pay then increased to £185,000 the year after.
In a previous statement Mr Swarbrick said Awaab’s death should be a ‘wake-up call for everyone in housing, social care and health’.
‘We have and will continue to learn hard lessons from this,’ he added.
‘We didn’t recognise the level of risk to a little boy’s health from the mould in the family’s home. We allowed a legal disrepair process, widely used in the housing sector, to get in the way of promptly tackling the mould.
‘We must make sure this can never happen again.’
Awaab Ishak, 2, died in December 2020 from a respiratory condition caused by mould in the one-bedroom flat where he lived with his parents (Picture: PA)
Damp and mould inside the toddler’s home pictured days after his death (Picture: MEN Media)
He celebrated his second birthday just days before his death (Picture: PA)
Social housing activist Kwajo Tweneboa called Mr Swarbrick’s salary ‘disgusting’ while ‘failing to ensure a decent standard of living for those his organisation are supposed to be providing a service to’.
Housing secretary Michael Gove accused Mr Swarbrick of ‘hiding behind procedure’.
‘Honestly, it beggars belief that this guy is still in office,’ he added. ‘He is coming here in order to explain to me why it was that this tragedy was allowed to happen.
‘This is an unacceptable tragedy.’
Mr Swarbrick confirmed yesterday he will meet with Mr Gove at the ‘earliest opportunity’.
A statement on behalf of Awaab’s family read: ‘We still cannot get our head around the fact that despite all of the complaints we made to RBH, in addition to the information RBH received from an NHS member of staff expressing their concern for Awaab due to mould at the property, RBH did absolutely nothing to rectify the severe mould in our property.
‘We cannot tell you how many health professionals we’ve cried in front and RBH staff we have pleaded to expressing concern for the conditions ourselves and Awaab have been living in.
‘We shouted out as loudly as we could, but despite making all of those efforts, every night we would be coming back to the same problem. Nothing was changing.’
They said they were left feeling ‘absolutely worthless’.
Senior coroner Joanne Kearsley said Awaab’s death ‘should be a defining moment for the housing sector’.
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Critics have called Gareth Swarbrick’s salary ‘disgusting’.
