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RBH appoints interim boss following Awaab Ishak’s death
Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) has appointed an interim chief executive to oversee promised changes at the organisation following the high-profile death of Awaab Ishak.
Yvonne Arrowsmith, who has worked in the social housing sector for 30 years, is a replacement for RBH’s former boss Gareth Swarbrick, who was sacked last month.
Mr Swarbrick resisted calls to step down after a coroner’s report found that two-year-old Awaab died from a respiratory condition caused by prolonged exposure to black mould in a one-bed flat managed by RBH.
His death has led to criticism of the sector and concern in the wider media about the state of social housing, while housing secretary Michael Gove has cut an expected £1m in Affordable Homes Programme (AHP) funding from RBH.
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Ms Arrowsmith has worked for various housing associations, including nearly a decade at Family Mosaic, which merged with Peabody in 2017. Her last role there was group operations director up until 2014.
Between 2014 and 2018 she was chief executive of 15,000-home landlord East Thames, which became a subsidiary of L&Q during her time in charge.
She was interim chief executive at Saffron Housing Trust between June 2018 and May 2019, according to her LinkedIn profile.
In a statement by RBH’s board, announcing the appointment, it said that Ms Arrowsmith would “lead our organisation and make sure that we put in place the changes we need to make”.
It added: “Yvonne has a track record of joining organisations as an interim chief executive and helping them to improve and succeed – we are really pleased to be able to bring in someone with her experience and skills to lead RBH.”
Ms Arrowsmith, who will start at RBH on 12 December, said: “This is a difficult time to be joining RBH, following the tragic death of Awaab Ishak.
“His death and the coroner’s verdict into it have rightly shocked the social housing sector. I strongly believe that everyone has the right to live in a home that is safe and secure.”
“So, although a difficult time, I am looking forward to working with the board, representative body and employees to prioritise the safety and security of people living in our homes, to make sure that action is taken where it is needed, and to begin the process of earning the trust and confidence of our residents.”
Earlier this week Inside Housing revealed that RBH had self-referred to the Regulator of Social Housing (RSH) because of Awaab’s death. However, the RSH did not publish a finding on its investigation because of its standard practice of not reaching conclusions while an inquest is ongoing.
Awaab’s family also called for RBH’s board to resign over what they called an “ever-present risk and danger to [its] tenants” while it remains in place.
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