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Hello,
The story behind Awaab Ishak’s death sent shockwaves across the country. So the news this week that the government is planning measures to ensure no other child has the same fate was welcome. But it's only the first step.
I've been speaking to Manchester Evening News editor Sarah Lester about the case that kept her awake at night and why the conversation on Britain's housing crisis is long overdue. Let's begin.
A step forward
Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove and Health Secretary Steve Barclay have this week promised to update current guidance to social homes and review landlord guidance on health risks.
Awaab Ishak was just two when he died after prolonged exposure to damp and mould at his home on the Freehold Estate, in Rochdale. No action was taken by social landlord Rochdale Boroughwide Housing, despite repeated pleas for help from his family.
Reporter Stephen Topping - who covered Awaab’s case from the start and carried out an investigation into conditions on the Freehold estate - says the little boy will now have a lasting legacy but adds: "Let's be clear, the fight for tangible change goes on".
In the months since Awaab's inquest, more than 170,000 people have signed a Manchester Evening News petition calling for a new ‘Awaab's Law’. This is what we’re campaigning for:
The story behind Awaab’s death shocked the nation and brought issues surrounding social housing in Britain into sharp focus.
It also prompted Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove to visit the estate where the toddler lived throughout his short life to speak to other residents and promise action.
There was much noise about the case in the days and weeks that followed the inquest. But shocking details about Britain’s crumbling housing system were available long before coroner Joanne Kearsley delivered her conclusion.
I’ve been speaking to Manchester Evening News editor Sarah Lester about Awaab's case, the petition for action and why this conversation must continue.
The state of social and rented accommodation has been an issue in Greater Manchester for decades, what was it about Awaab’s case that was different?
“When I first learned about Awaab I couldn’t stop thinking about it, more than anything for a very long time. I was really horrified by it.
"I couldn’t get my head around the fact that a child had died in these conditions, in this day and age and there was no outrage, there was no shock, nothing was being done. The apathy all around was astonishing. That’s when we decided to really investigate it.
“We seem to be happy that people in social and rented housing should be living in these conditions. This is a civilised society. That shouldn’t be okay.”
Why did the M.E.N decide to investigate this case in more detail?
“It’s like the balance is wrong. The housing association didn’t seem to have a sense of a duty of care for providing a safe place. And the often vulnerable people who live there have no voice. That really struck me.
“Awaab’s parents had no voice. They did all the right things but the mould was blamed on living conditions.”
When did you realise the true scale of this story?
“When reporter Stephen Topping went back to that estate a year after his death he found there were kids who had doctors' letters telling them accommodation was unsafe - but nobody at the housing association had thought ‘we’d better do something’. They blamed it on behaviour and lifestyle.
“In the summer we realised the housing association were more focussed on our enquiries. They even sent a letter out warning residents that we were knocking on doors. They were more interested in reputation management than dealing with the problem.”
You said people really started to take notice of the story when the first pictures of Awaab were published - why do you think this is?
“I still feel quite saddened that it took a while to get traction. And I don’t understand why it wasn’t at the top of the news agenda for everyone - that a boy could die from mould, despite his parents’ best efforts."
The M.E.N. petition to prevent more children dying from damp and mouldy social housing has more than 170,000 signatures - did you expect that?
“The support from readers once we'd published the picture of Awaab was immense. People have been genuinely shocked.
“After Stephen’s initial story we were inundated with people from across the country - not just Greater Manchester - who said they were in the same position. We already knew we were going to launch a petition but that galvanised the decision.
“We launched the campaign in the summer but didn't get the petition going because we were working with Shelter to agree on a suitable wording. We needed to really understand what would make a difference.
“While it’s really good news that Michael Gove is taking this seriously, we need clarity on the details of the proposed changes and the timings. And it needs to change quickly.
“It’s really encouraging that the government has listened, but we’ll keep watching.”
Why have the conversations sparked by this case been so important?
“There is no decent housing strategy in this country, particularly around social housing but also around renters.
"And there is not enough social housing - the need far outstrips the supply and nobody has got a grip on it. And of course like everything, it will affect regions like ours harder.”
Read more: Awaab's Law: What ministers' response means, what's next and what we must never forget
Sign the petition calling for Awaab's Law here
A milestone in the pursuit of justice for Victoria
Victoria Agoglia’s family have been given permission to seek a new inquest into her death.
The teenager was living in a home under the responsibility of Manchester Council when she died, aged 15, after being injected with heroin by a 50-year-old man. Prior to her death she told social workers that she was being forcibly injected with drugs and raped - but no effective action was taken to protect her, as Neal Keeling reports.
At her inquest in 2007, coroner Simon Nelson concluded that the authorities could not have foreseen her death. But a review commissioned by Andy Burnham in 2017 found social services ‘failed to protect her’ and the coroner’s narrative conclusion 'significantly’ underplayed the ‘coercion and control she was subject to'.
It also found Victoria was threatened, assaulted and taken back to her residential unit 'intoxicated' and found a number of other victims were ‘failed by police and children's services’.
A Greater Manchester Police investigation - Operation Augusta - identified up to 97 suspected offenders and at least 57 children believed to be potential victims of sexual exploitation, but was discontinued in July 2005 due to lack of resources.
Another investigation into grooming gangs in Greater Manchester, known as Operation Green Jacket, is ongoing.
But Victoria’s family have also long since campaigned for her inquest to be reopened.
The Attorney General’s office has now granted a fiat, meaning they have permission to take their case to the High Court. If successful, it could spark a fresh inquest and those involved in the original inquest – including Greater Manchester Police and social services – will be called to give evidence.
The family’s lawyer, Claire Macmaster from Simpson Millar, said: “My client is understandably anxious to ensure that circumstances leading up to Victoria’s death are understood within an accurate factual context – one that recognises that Victoria was a victim of child sexual exploitation.
“This is a milestone in my client’s pursuit of justice for Victoria.”
Patients waiting hours in ambulances
More than 4,000 ambulance patients have been forced to wait over an hour outside A&E departments across Greater Manchester so far this winter.
As Helena Vesty writes, the NHS in our region is hamstrung by strikes, a 'twindemic' of flu and Covid, collapsing social care and more emergency department attendances than ever before. Doctors have told Helena that demand is far outstripping capacity and there is simply are not enough staff or beds to cope with the onslaught of extremely ill patients.
David Dubas-Fisher, of Reach’s data unit, has been looking at the numbers and found there were a total of 28,971 ambulance arrivals at A&E departments in Greater Manchester between November 14 and January 1. Of those, 8,527 faced long handover delays.
A total of 4,079 arrivals had a delay of over an hour between arrival and handover, while a further 4,448 faced delays of between 30 and 60 minutes, according to the latest NHS data.
Those delays added up to a total of 7,196 lost hours for ambulance crews.
The figures for our region are made up of:
- Wrightington, Wigan And Leigh NHS Foundation Trust (25 per cent over 60 minutes)
- Bolton NHS Foundation Trust (19 per cent over 60 minutes)
- Stockport NHS Foundation Trust (17 per cent over 60 minutes)
- Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust - which runs Manchester Royal Infirmary, Wythenshawe Hospital, Trafford General Hospital, the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, Saint Mary's Hospital, North Manchester General, and Altrincham Hospital (14 per cent over 60 minutes)
- Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust - which runs Salford Royal, the Royal Oldham Hospital, Fairfield General, and Rochdale Infirmary (9 per cent over 60 minutes)
- Tameside And Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust (8 per cent over 60 minutes)
Was it worth the millions?
The revamp of Great Ancoats Street is a bone of contention for many residents of the trendy city centre neighbourhood.
More than £8 million was ploughed into the scheme - which has included changes to crossing facilities, tree planting and introduced 'modern' road surfacing to reduce noise.
But, as Ethan Davies reports, some think it didn't go far enough with calls for traffic to be re-routed along Alan Turing Way to better connect Ancoats and New Islington with the rest of the city centre.
Ethan has been speaking to traders in the area to find out their thoughts.
Among them is Sam Moyes, manager of the General Store, who says the customers who sit outside his shop in summer always mention the traffic.
“Sometimes it can be unclear if you’re in one area or another,” he says. “The Northern Quarter is grimy but cool, whereas Ancoats is clean and has a different vibe.”
General Store group owner, Mital Morar, says the money spent on Great Ancoats Street ‘smartened up the landscape for now’, but more changes may soon be needed. "As the population increases more changes may be needed to slow things down and allow for easier access between areas,” he says.
You can read Ethan’s full piece here.
Not a nightclub
Factory International has been granted a 24-hours licence, allowing alcohol to be sold until 4am every night of the year.
The £210m arts centre is due to open in June with a Matrix-inspired performance directed by Oscar-winner Danny Boyle.
But neighbouring residents and local councillors have raised concerns about noise from the venue, as Joseph Timan reports. They objected to the application, describing the opening hours required as 'excessive'. In particular, they argued that selling alcohol until 4am would result in noise disturbances.
Rebecca Lowe, representing the venue at a licensing hearing this week, said the project's funding deal requires a 'rich diversity' of events at the venue - which could include late night music. But she also assured councillors that the venue would not turn into a nightclub.
The application was approved with additional conditions limiting the capacity of the outdoor area to a maximum of 2,000 people and requiring a regular residents' forum to be held to discuss any issues arising from the licence.
Weather etc
Wednesday: Yellow weather warning of snow and ice. 5C.
Road closures: M56 Eastbound exit slip road to the A34 closed due to roadworks at A34 Kingsway until 7am on February 5.
Trains: Salford Central will be closed until summer 2023 for vital platform and canopy works.
Trivia question: Which library, in Manchester, was the first public library in the English speaking world?
Manchester headlines
Night and Day: The third and final day of a court hearing for Manchester's Night & Day Café, which was due to take place today, has been adjourned. The Northern Quarter venue is appealing a noise abatement notice served by Manchester council in 2021 following complaints from a neighbouring flat. In November, Manchester Magistrates Court heard from one of the residents who complained about the noise as well as council officers and venue owner Jennifer Smithson. She told the court of her shock that the family business could be closed down if the noise abatement notice is upheld by the judge. However, council officers said they do not intend to close the venue and want to work with the owners to address the noise issue. The Local Democracy Reporting Service understands that talks have taken place since then. More here.
In your shoes: Virtual reality headsets are poised to be used to give youngsters an insight into the real impact missile attacks on trains, trams and buses have on passengers and drivers. Transport bosses want them to be thrust 'into the shoes' of staff and commuters after admitting attacks on public transport have 'become far too common' across Greater Manchester over the last 12 months. They hope the VR headset scheme currently being developed will shock them into realising what the consequences are of throwing a brick, firework or other missile at a moving vehicle. More here.
Impact: Residents living near to Old Trafford stadium are being asked to take part in a consultation to share their views on how they are being impacted by the behaviour of some fans attending sporting and concert events. Trafford Council’s Scrutiny Committee has launched the consultation after receiving a number of complaints about the behaviour of some fans attending the stadium, which can seat more than 74,000 people. More here.
- Mast: A controversial internet firm is to appeal an order to remove a 60ft mast in an area where it donated £2,000 to the sitting MP. IX Wireless was told it must tear down the ‘monstrous’ aerial - on the Tarvin Road estate, in Cheadle - after an uproar from residents who said it appeared without any notice or confirmation. Stockport Council bosses gave the firm three months to get rid of the structure last October, on the grounds it had not secured the necessary permissions and the mast was ‘detrimental’ to residents and the appearance of the street. However it is understood the Blackburn-based firm - now under growing scrutiny over a series of donations it has made to Tory MPs, including Cheadle’s Mary Robinson - will lodge an appeal before the end of the month. There is no suggestion of impropriety in any of the donations. Coun David Meller, who represents the area, says the council is ready to put up a ‘robust case’ to ensure the appeal is not upheld. Full story here.
Worth a read
Are you a traitor? Or are you 100% a faithful?
Aisha Birley actually was a faithful - but that didn’t stop her from being the first to be ‘murdered’ by her fellow contestants on the popular BBC One show The Traitors.
Showbiz and TV writer Katie Fitzpatrick has been speaking to Aisha about her time on the show and the attention she has had since.
The English teacher, from Prestwich, says plenty of her friends are ‘obsessed’ with the programme and she’s been recognised by complete strangers. "I went to visit my friend in Cambridge and we were in a bar and this guy turned to me and said 'you're that really gobby girl on The Traitors and I was like 'yeah, hi.'
"People will double glance and stare and point. The kids at school watched it and they were like 'miss, you were on TV'," she says.
Aisha, 24, thinks The Traitors has been so popular because its cast represents the nation. "I got to be around women like Andrea, being around a 72-year-old woman who wasn't my nan and becoming friendly with her and texting her on a regular basis, and the same with Claire who has a son who is my age and is one of my closest friends now,” she says.
Warning, Katie's piece contains spoilers so don’t read it if you’re yet to watch.
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: Chetham's Library
