Regulator of Social Housing’s report on Rochdale Boroughwide Housing

That this House acknowledges the report by the Regulator of Social Housing following its investigation into Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) after the death of Awaab Ishak; is shocked by the report’s conclusions, including that there have been significant failures in the way RBH manages damp and mould in its homes, resulting in harm to tenants, that RBH waited nearly two years after Awaab Ishak died to check other homes on the estate where he lived, and that once RBH did finally check these homes they found that almost 80% of tenants there had signs of damp and mould; notes the very belated resignation of the board of RBH, who so signally failed to provide any adequate scrutiny of the actions of the Chief Executive; insists that any reconstituted board must be charged with the obvious importance of their role in making RBH accountable for protecting the interests and particularly the health of RBH tenants; notes that in the past there were local authority representatives on the board of RBH but these were removed; and believes that a strong role for elected members of the local authority is key to ensuring accountability and that social housing is maintained to an acceptable standard.