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Awaab Ishak was a typical two-year-old boy. He enjoyed riding his bike and playing with his ball. He was full of joy, innocence and potential. In 2020 that all came to an end. Awaab’s family had spent much of that year pleading with someone to fix the damp and mould problem in the flat that they rented from Rochdale Boroughwide Housing. On December 21st of that year Awaab died. His inquest ruled that he suffered breathing difficulties due to mould exposure. The coroner said the landlord should have acted. Today, five years later a new law will come into force as a direct result of a campaign following the little boy’s death. It’s a legacy that will save lives. Welcome to Unmissable, our weekly digest of stories we think you might have missed. The campaign for Awaab’s law has been a long one. The new legislation brings in strict timeframes for council and housing associations to inspect and repair health hazards - including damp and mould. Our reporter Stephen Topping covered Awaab’s case from the start and the M.E.N. played a significant role in the campaign to change the law, along with Awaab’s family, housing charity Shelter and Change.Org . We’ve published a number of articles today marking the long-awaited arrival of the new law. Stephen Topping spoke to Awaab’s father about the campaign and his grief five years on. He told the paper: “I’m very proud and very happy that the law is coming in on Monday. This is going to save a lot of people. I’m proud of my son. “It’s not in his life, but it’s going to be for other people. He’s going to be saving other humans and that’s why I’m really proud of him.” In a separate piece Stephen sets out who Awaab was, his legacy and what happens now. He writes: “More than 177,000 M.E.N. readers, plus Greater Manchester MPs, supported our call for change to ensure no other family has to face the same tragic circumstances that Awaab did. “Now, social landlords - including councils and housing associations - will have to follow strict time limits to inspect and repair hazards such as damp and mould. If they fail to comply with the new rules, the landlords can be taken to court”. In an exclusive comment piece for this paper, Steve Reed, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government writes: “Safety and decency - respect - should be the bare minimum for everyone, no matter where you live.” In an accompanying comment piece Stephen Topping writes that: “It should never have taken a child to die in 21st century Greater Manchester for change to come. But now that change is here, our councils and housing associations must act. We will be watching to ensure they do.” Our local democracy reporter who covers Rochdale, George Lythgoe, revisited the Freehold Estate where Awaab and his family had lived. He found much-improved conditions and a refusal to let the tragedy define them. One resident told him: “It’s a nicer place to live now. I’ve been here 10 years and the last two have been the best, it’s improved. “It’s terrible to say it’s taken that to sort this out. It should never have come to that.” Years on from unthinkable tragedy, the law in Awaab Ishak's name will finally become a reality. Read the story HERE. A campaign which won the support of more than 177,000 people has now become a reality. Read the story HERE. Writing exclusively for the Manchester Evening News , housing secretary Steve Reed discusses Awaab Ishak's legacy and the difference it will make from today. Read it HERE. Awaab's Law means an unthinkable tragedy should never be repeated. Read it HERE. Five years on from the death of Awaab Ishak, locals say life on the Freehold is starting to change for the better. Read it HERE.
