'Formal letter' handed in as council bosses confirm talks over estate where tragic Awaab Ishak, 2, lived

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Town hall chiefs insist they are holding an under-fire housing association to account after a Manchester Evening News investigation into conditions on a Rochdale estate. Two-year-old Awaab Ishak died in December 2020 after living in a property affected by damp and mould on the Freehold estate.

Tragic details of the toddler's death have only emerged this summer as Rochdale Coroners' Court prepares for Awaab's inquest in November. Awaab's post-mortem established a medical link between the conditions he was breathing in and his death, just days after his second birthday, the court heard in June.

The M.E.N. has since uncovered similar conditions affecting families on Freehold, an estate run by social landlord Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH), more than 18 months since Awaab's death. They include families with children who have previously been rushed to hospital for breathing issues, as well as some with GPs who wrote with concerns about the condition of their homes.

READ MORE into the MEN's investigation:

'We should all feel a sense of shame': Heartbreak and anger

A two-year-old is dead and other children are struggling to breathe

A forgotten child in the Greater Manchester flats that are full of fear

Following the investigation, politicians have expressed shock at the situation, while M.E.N.readers have also voiced their anger. Last Tuesday (August 16), the M.E.N. asked Rochdale Council for an interview with its leader, Coun Neil Emmott, about Awaab's death and the findings of the Freehold investigation.

The request was turned down. This week, the council confirmed Coun Emmott would not be put forward for interview on the subject while Awaab's inquest remains ongoing at Rochdale Coroners' Court, but