Explainer-in-brief: A housing crisis claiming lives
The revelation that the death of 2-year-old Awaab Ishak in 2020 was caused by extensive mould in his family house has rocked a nation locked in a permanent housing crisis.
Giving a statement about this tragedy in Parliament yesterday, Secretary of State for Levelling up Michael Gove said that “every single person in this country, irrespective of who they are, where they’re from or how much they earn, has the right of living in a home which is safe and secure”.
He promised the Social Housing Bill, currently before Parliament, will stop the scandal and drastically change the power imbalance hanging between landlords and renters. He’s promised he’ll make the housing ombudsman more powerful, ensuring all tenants know about the complaint process.
But all of this, as with many problems in the housing sector, comes too late. For years, people have been complaining of unsafe housing, and now a 2-year-old has paid the price.