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"This law will make a real difference to people's lives, and I hope that brings some degree of comfort to all of those who knew and who loved Awaab." Those were the words of Baroness Scott of Bybrook as the House of Lords approved a bill setting out Awaab's Law.
It was a momentous day for campaigners. Two-year-old Awaab Ishak died following prolonged exposure to mould in a social housing flat on Rochdale's Freehold estate in December 2020.
More than 18 months after his death, the M.E.N. revealed other families were still living in similar conditions on the same estate. The scandal saw bosses held to account - and their chief executive step down - as it sent shockwaves through the social housing sector.
Now Awaab's Law is set to become a reality. Once on the statute book, it will mean social landlords will face strict time limits to inspect and repair damp and mould.
Other measures include Ofsted-style inspections for housing associations and the requirement for management of social landlords to have professional qualifications.
In today's Mancunian Way we'll hear from M.E.N. journalist Stephen Topping, whose investigation into Awaab's death and conditions in Freehold helped expose the scandal, as he looks back on the campaign.
Elsewhere, we'll hear what Andy Burnham plans to do to tackle rogue landlords and pay a visit to the most affordable place to live in Greater Manchester.
A momentous day
It was a scandal that should have never happened, writes Stephen Topping. But now, thanks to overwhelming support from thousands who simply couldn't be ignored, a legacy has been secured for little Awaab Ishak.
Some 177,581 people backed our campaign, in conjunction with Shelter, demanding that no other child die because of mould in their home. Yesterday that petition was handed into Downing Street in three boxes bearing Awaab's face by the toddler's father Faisal Abdullah.
The message was resoundingly clear, the need for urgent action even clearer.
Mr Abdullah was joined by some of those who have supported his grieving family during their fight to carve out a legacy in Awaab's name. A short while later, members of the House of Lords approved amendments to a Bill setting out Awaab's Law.
It was a historic achievement for the campaign. And it was an emotional day in Westminster after months of hard work.
Tributes were paid to campaigners at Grenfell United, who have pushed tirelessly to drive up standards in social housing since the 2017 tragedy, as well as Awaab's family. As the M.E.N. watched proceedings in the Lords from the public gallery alongside Mr Abdullah, there was a poignant silence as Awaab's legacy in law was finally cemented.
Presenting the Bill to the Lords, Baroness Bybrook said: "The need to drive up the quality of social housing and rebalance the relationship between tenants and landlords was also thrown into sharp relief by the tragic death of Awaab Ishak.
"I know that Awaab's father is watching today and I know that I speak for all of us when I say that my thoughts remain with the Ishak family. I would like to thank the family, alongside Shelter and the Manchester Evening News, for their steadfast campaigning on Awaab's Law."
Awaab, an innocent, carefree child lost in unthinkable circumstances in modern Greater Manchester, has come to represent a powerful force for change.
‘A change is coming’
Changes are also afoot in the local housing sector. Yesterday Andy Burnham outlined his plans to tackle rental woes, saying he wants 'a healthy home for all by 2038'.
Speaking at the Housing 2023 conference at Manchester Central, the mayor warned rogue landlords 'change is coming' saying they could be stripped of their properties if they don’t comply with new standards.
Mr Burnham called on the government to give him the power to apply a mandatory standard to all rented homes and a new set of tools to enforce improvements. And, following on from the death of Awaab Ishak, he wants all rented properties to be inspected and tenants to be protected from eviction if they report concerns about poor conditions such as mould and damp.
Speaking about Awaab's case Mr Burnham said: "After the inquest verdict came in late last year, I met with the 10 council leaders [of Greater Manchester] and the general feeling was that ‘this is it’. This has got to be a complete line drawn on something that should not be happening in this day and age. It added an urgency to the conversation."
A Good Landlord Charter aimed at driving up the quality of renting in the region could be launched giving tenants a 'clearly defined expectation' from their landlord. But where landlords are not maintaining their properties to a decent standard, they could face regular, independent inspections.
“My message to those landlords is that 'you can’t carry on as you are, change is coming',” Mr Burnham added. “If they want to go on an improvement journey, we will help them and we will support them if we can.
“What we won’t accept is this unresponsive, absent response with the ‘we’re not doing anything’ attitude and renting out property not fit for human habitation. It is not on anymore."
Greater Manchester's most affordable postcode
With interest rates continuing to rise, it's also a tough time to be buying or selling a house. But if you are looking at moving home perhaps you should take a look at Pemberton in Wigan.
The old mining town currently has the cheapest house prices in the most affordable borough for first time buyers in Greater Manchester. According to the latest Land Registry figures the average property here will set you back £146,230.
But what's it like to live there? We went along to find to find out.
Retired aircraft engineer Brian Heaton says the location is one of the best things about the town. "It's dead easy to get everywhere," he said.
"We're five minutes from the M6 and a five minute walk from the train station, so you can be in Manchester, Liverpool, Preston or Blackpool in 30 minutes."
"Everybody knows everybody," added hairdresser Stacey Bennett, who has lived in Pemberton all her life. "A lot of people grow up here and stay here.
"It's that kind of place. A lot of my customers are in their 80s and they're loving life. There's everything they need here for them."
Relative new-comer Faraj Mohammed, took over Clayton's Newsagents four years ago, having previously lived in Chelsea in London, he says he much prefers it in Wigan.
"It was a very posh area but I was poor. Life is much easier here."
The shanty town by the sea
With families living in the rusting skeletons of buses and trains scattered among the sand dunes, Talacre beach in North Wales was once dubbed the 'shanty town by the sea'. Here nostalgia writer Lee Grimsditch explains how the bizarre situation was a hangover from the time chalets were used as an evacuation centre for those fleeing the bombing in Manchester and Liverpool during the Second World War.
But without enough chalets to accommodate the evacuees, people began building makeshift huts, while others made their homes by repurposing old caravans, railway carriages and buses, despite the lack of basic amenities like electricity and running water.
And after the war ended, some of the chalets became permanent family homes - even after holidaymakers began to return to the resort. But by the end of the 1950s, the poor conditions became a running joke with comedians of the day and started to attract negative press.
But eventually progress caught up with the resort. As the 1960s went along, many of the makeshift chalets including the old buses, were cleared as caravan parks were developed. And by 1973, the last of the old chalets were removed from the dunes as the resort continued to grow in popularity.
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Weather etc
Temperatures: Thursday will be sunny changing to cloudy by lunchtime with highs of 19C.
Road closures: Temporary traffic lights due to roadworks on A56 Manchester Road, Bury near the BP petrol station until June 30.
Trivia question: Sir Jim Ratcliffe remains in the running to takeover at Old Trafford, but in which Oldham suburb was the billionaire raised?
Manchester headlines
A body was pulled from a river in Rochdale town centre this morning. Police, paramedics, fire crews and rescue teams were called to the scene near St Mary's Gate at around 6.30am. More here.
A man has been charged with causing the death of a woman in Wigan by dangerous driving. Kathleen Kirby was killed after being hit by a vehicle on Bolton Road on Monday afternoon. Chad Rimington, 32, has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving, police confirmed this morning. Read more.
A huge emergency services response at an industrial unit in Oldham was sparked by a 'chemical leak', the fire service has confirmed. Five fire engines were scrambled to the incident on the Highfield Industrial Estate on West End Street at around 7.40pm last night. Nearby Oldham College and a gym were evacuated by police officers as smoke billowed from the unit.
Worth a read
The sign still says Couch Potato, but you won't get a jacket spud here anymore, writes Ben Arnold as he continues his mission to find Manchester's best and most unlikely food spots.
Intrigued by the queues of foreign students, this week he paid a visit to an old butty van near the universities on Oxford Road and found it's been given a new lease of life. You can still get a breakfast barm and a burger if you want, but the spuds are long gone, replaced by bamboo steamers and flat-grilled noodles.
And it sounds like it's been a successful pivot. "You know lunch is going to go well when you’ve already started to eat it in the street, chasing it down like a kebab at 3am," writes Ben.
That's all for today
Thanks for joining me. If you have stories you would like us to look into, email beth.abbit@menmedia.co.uk.
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The answer to today's trivia question is: Sir Jim was born and raised in a council house in Failsworth.
