EMMA GARDINER reports that the findings of a Coroner’s court in Rochdale over the cause of death of a toddler needs to lead to profound changes in the way social housing stock is managed
Blocked off: the health of children living in Regina Road council flats have also been affected by mould
The shocking announcement this week from Rochdale Coroner’s Court that two-year-old toddler Awaab Ishak had died from a respiratory condition caused by the black mould in his housing association flat won’t have shocked some of the families living in Regina Road in South Norwood. Many of them have been forced to endure similar, health-damaging and life-threatening conditions in their Croydon Council homes for years.
Many will hope that the Rochdale Coroner’s ruling proves to be a turning point in the management of social housing in Britain.
On Tuesday, the Coroner found exposure to persistent black mould on the walls of the family’s rented home was a cause of the infant’s death in December 2020. The Coroner found that the landlord had failed to fix it, blaming the mould on “family lifestyle”. The high-handed dismissal of tenants’ genuine concerns will be familiar to residents in Regina Road and other council-owned homes in Croydon, as well as for too many of those renting in the private sector and living in housing associations.
Coroner Joanne Kearsley said on Tuesday, “I’m sure I’m not alone in asking how, in the UK in 2020, does a two-year-old child die from exposure to mould in his home?”
Council tenants and temporary accommodation residents know the answer. Continue reading
After the financial shockwaves caused by the omnishambles of the Tory Mini Budget, yesterday’s announcements by Chancellor Jeremy Hunt offer little hope of prosperity for the people of Croydon, writes ANDREW FISHER
The Coulsdon Theatre Workshop has a spine-chilling Christmas special lined up next month, all staged in a dark forest of magic and myth.
The announcement is a boost for NHS staff and patients across the borough, as the partnership will see Croydon’s only dedicated NHS charity benefiting from a generous bursary. It will also allow the organisations to work together to offer health education events, as well as opportunities to raise funds throughout the year.
Croydon Council is trying to silence Inside Croydon.
CROYDON COMMENTARY: Groups gathering together in pubs and bars to watch matches in the football World Cup could increase the risk of spreading flu and covid warns Dr CHRIS STREATHER, the medical director for the NHS in London, pictured right 
Suitable for children from five to 75, the roller rink will host skating sessions on the hour every day from 12pm to 6pm on Mondays to Saturdays and 12pm to 5pm on Sundays.
