Awaab Ishak landlord to plough £45m into improving homes as former top exec let go
19.05.2023 - 08:55
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Rochdale Boroughwide Housing is to plough a further £45m into improving its existing homes after telling a former top exec her role is ‘no longer needed’. The landlord was shamed over the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak last year, after an inquest found he died as a direct result of ‘extensive’ black mould at his RBH home on the town’s Freehold estate.
The tragedy led to the sacking of RBH chief executive Gareth Swarbrick, whose interim replacement - Yvonne Arrowsmith - was tasked with turning the housing association around. Ms Arrowsmith set out details of a two-year ‘recovery plan’ earlier this year - including spending £2m on a damp and mould ‘taskforce’ and £1.2m on improving ventilation at the Freehold estate alone.
And in a significant development, RBH has now announced that it will be investing a further £45 million in its existing homes over the next five years. It comes as the organisation confirmed it had parted ways with former top executive Clare Tostevin.
READ MORE: Join the FREE Manchester Evening News WhatsApp communityMs Tosetvin's was paid £127,000 in 2021-22 - but the organisation now says its focus on improving existing homes, meaning ‘her role overseeing growth is no longer needed’. Housing secretary Michael Gove's decision to withhold £1m funding from RBH until 'it can prove it is a responsible landlord' - constraning housebuilding for the foreseeable future - appears to have been a factor in her exit.
Yvonne Arrowsmith, Interim RBH Chief Executive, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “We have committed to everyone having the right to a quality home, and as we deliver our recovery plan, we have been looking at the issues that we know need to be resolved.
"As a result, the RBH Board have
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