Awaab Ishak’s family calls for RBH board to resign over ‘ever-present risk to tenants’

According to the family’s statement, “the family are struggling to grapple with the fact that, while grieving the loss of their child, RBH were expressing confidence in their CEO. 

“They also cannot understand why it took so long for RBH to, in any way, acknowledge that it was wrong for them to have made ‘assumptions’ about the lifestyle of Mr Abdullah and Ms Amin [Awaab’s parents] – particularly given the coroner’s findings.”

It said RBH has “immediate and urgent issues” that need to be addressed to ensure the safety of its tenants, and the family does not feel its board has the “competence or credibility to do the job”. 

The family said the meeting with Mr Gove was “productive” and they are “hopeful and closely watching to see that the meaningful changes” he promised come about.

Mr Gove backed all requests from the family; he supports the Social Housing Regulation Bill and the implementation of an ‘Awaab’s Law’ to ensure no family suffers the same fate.

He also agreed to provide progress reports to the family and the country about the changes being made, and said he will come back to Rochdale in six months’ time to update the family personally. 

Mr Gove confirmed to the family that he will deal with all the matters raised in the coroner’s prevention of future deaths report, which was issued at the close of Awaab’s inquest. 

A spokesperson for RBH, representatives of which also met Mr Gove, said its immediate priority is to “maintain the stability of the organisation” and to appoint a new interim chief executive, which it is in the process of doing.

“The board is reflecting on the appropriate blend of skills and experience needed to lead the organisation going forward.

“The board will take the decision in dialogue with the regulator and RBH’s representative body to ensure that there is a well-managed succession plan for the future,” they said.