Amanda Newton appointed as RBH’s new permanent chief executive

Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) has appointed Amanda Newton as its new permanent chief executive.

Ms Newton succeeds interim chief executive Yvonne Arrowsmith, who temporarily took up the mantle after Gareth Swarbrick was sacked.

Mr Swarbrick was sacked in November 2022 after the tragic – and preventable – death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who died as a direct result of prolonged exposure to mould in his Freehold home, which was managed by Rochdale Boroughwide Housing.

As a result, housing secretary Michael Gove decided to withhold £1m funding for new houses from RBH until ‘it could prove it is a responsible landlord’.
 

Read more: Gove withdraws £1m of funding to RBH following death of Awaab IshakPublished: 24 November 2022

Under Ms Arrowsmith’s leadership, it was revealed that more than one in 10 RBH properties are affected by damp, with RBH putting a two-year ‘recovery plan’ in place. Ms Arrowsmith said this included finding out how the landlord didn’t know how widespread damp and mould issues are, after not being highlighted during stock condition surveys.
 

Read more: Over 1 in 10 RBH houses affected by damp and mouldPublished: 10 February 2023

During Ms Arrowsmith’s six-month leadership, the housing association has also paused work on its controversial plans for College Bank, whilst it conducts a detailed review.

This pause, announced in May, includes the plans for refurbishment of the Underwood block and the plans for priority rehousing.
 

Read more: RBH to spend £45m on improving homes and pauses plans for College BankPublished: 19 May 2023

Rochdale Boroughwide Housing has also commissioned a condition survey of all its existing homes, with Ms Arrowsmith saying it needed to get its existing homes “right first.”

Ms Newton will take up her new role in the autumn and will lead RBH as it continues to deliver its recovery and improvement plan.

She joins from Livv Housing Group, where she is currently executive director for customer insight.

Ms Newton said: “Having the opportunity to lead an organisation like RBH, which is anchored in its communities and has a real ambition to do great things for its tenants, is an honour and a privilege.

“I’m looking forward to moving forward the recovery plan - working alongside the board, the representative body and brilliant colleagues to rebuild an organisation that focuses on its tenants, the quality of its homes, and the value that it brings to the wider community.

“There are exciting times ahead and we’ll approach this together with an unwavering commitment to do the very best for the people of Rochdale who live in our homes today and in the future.”

Kevin Brady, chair of the RBH board, said: “I’m absolutely delighted to welcome Amanda to RBH. I am looking forward to working together to drive forward our recovery plan at pace and embed our new governance arrangements. Amanda brings a wealth of experience from across the public, private, and social housing sectors.

"Her experience in implementing large-scale transformation programmes, aligned to an unrelenting customer focus, will be a formidable asset to RBH as we reshape our services around our tenants and the quality of our homes. Amanda is joining us at a challenging and exciting time for RBH and the board extends a warm Rochdale welcome.”