Interim chief exec of housing association steps down as she admits there’s a ‘way to go’

Rochdale Boroughwide Housing’s (RBH) interim chief executive has stepped down after being brought in to turn the housing provider around following the death of tragic Awaab Ishak in 2020.

Yvonne Arrowsmith was appointed last December to the organisation which has more than 12,000 homes in the Rochdale area, as it was dealing with the aftermath of an inquest into Awaab’s death.
 

Read more: New interim chief executive appointed at RBHPublished: 01 December 2022

Ms Arrowsmith has led RBH’s recovery plan after it was found by the Regulator of Social Housing that the organisation ‘missed opportunities’ over a two-year period to tackle mould and damp issues.

She said: “This year, we have made significant progress on our recovery plan. We have made significant steps to make sure that your voice as tenants is heard, and we continue to make changes to improve our homes and the services that we provide. I can honestly say that RBH is in a much better place than it was.

“I know that there is still a way to go to embed the changes we have made and ensure that tenants remain at the centre of all we do.”

In November 2022 the coroner’s verdict linked mould and damp within the home to Awaab’s death from a respiratory condition. After that, it was revealed that hundreds of RBH homes still had mould and damp issues which needed to be dealt with.
 

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

As part of the RBH recovery plan, the board agreed to invest millions in improving existing homes, and it also brought forward plans to replace kitchens, bathrooms, and central heating systems in properties.

Following the tragic death of the two-year-old toddler, Awaab’s family accused RBH of racism and called on the housing provider to “stop providing unfair treatment” to people coming to the UK from abroad such as refugees and asylum seekers.

The housing association admitted it ‘made assumptions about lifestyle’ relating to his family and apologised, saying it ‘abhors racism in any shape or form’.

 

Amanda Newton was confirmed as RBH’s new chief executive in June, leaving her previous role at Livv Housing Group.
 

Read more: Amanda Newton appointed as RBH’s new permanent chief executivePublished: 12 June 2023

She said at the time: “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.”

Declan Carey, Local Democracy Reporting Service