Social housing managers will require qualifications in bid to ‘drive up standards’ after Awaab Ishak’s tragic death
Social housing managers will be required to study for qualifications, Michael Gove has announced.
The housing secretary said the move was part of drive to professionalise the sector following the death of a two-year-old in a mouldy flat.
Mr Gove announced the changes after recognising that social housing residents were being “inexcusably let down”.
He said the shift would “drive up standards” across the board after Awaab Ishak’s tragic death.
Awaab died in December 2020 from a respiratory condition caused by mould at his home in Rochdale, Greater Manchester.
In response to his death, ministers have proposed that landlords will have to investigate and fix damp and mould in social housing within strict time limits under what would be known as “Awaab’s Law”.
‘Culture change needed’
On top of those reforms, Mr Gove announced new rules that will mean around 25,000 managers across the sector will be required to have an appropriate housing management qualification.
Managers must have a qualification that comes from a provider regulated by exams watchdog Ofqual and is equivalent to a level 4 or 5 certificate or diploma in housing.
Alternatively, they can have a foundation degree from the Chartered Institute of Housing.
The changes will be made through amendments to the Social Housing (Regulation) Bill, according to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.
Officials said the new requirements will drive the “culture change needed” in the sector.
Awaab’s home
They said ensuring managers have appropriate qualifications will bring social housing more closely into line with other sectors providing frontline services, including social work, teaching, health and care services.
Any landlord who fails to meet the new standards requirements could eventually receive an unlimited fine from the Regulator of Social Housing, the department said.
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Housing developers have been told to repairing unsafe buildings
Mr Gove said: “The Grenfell Tower tragedy and, more recently, the death of Awaab Ishak showed the devastating consequences of residents inexcusably being let down by poor performing landlords who consistently failed to listen to them.
“We know that many social housing residents are not receiving the service or respect they deserve.
The Grenfell tower block where 72 residents lost their lives on 14 June 2017
“The changes we are delivering today will make sure social housing managers across the country have the right skills and experience to deliver an excellent service and drive up standards across the board.”
The bill is the latest step in response to the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire, with the Fire Safety Act enacted and the Building Safety Act passed last year.
As already announced by Mr Gove’s department, the draft law will give the social housing regulator tough new powers, allowing it to enter properties with only 48-hours’ notice and make emergency repairs with landlords footing the bill.
The legislation is expected to return to parliament on 1 March.
The fast-moving developments on Trump’s Ukraine peace deal are dominating the G20 summit in South Africa, as European leaders scramble to put together a counter-proposal to the US-Russia 28-point plan and reinsert Ukraine into these discussions.
European countries are now working up proposals to put to President Trump ahead of his deadline of Thursday to agree a deal.
Ukraine is in a tight spot. It cannot reject Washington outright – it relies on US military support to continue this war – but neither can it accept the terms of a deal that is acutely favourable to Russia, requiring Ukraine to give up territory not even occupied by Moscow and reducing its army.
Overnight, the UK government has reiterated its position that any deal must deliver a “just and lasting peace”.
Ukraine war latest: Kyiv to discuss ending war in talks in Switzerland
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Keir Starmer calls for growth plan at G20
The prime minister, who spoke with E3 allies President Macron of France, Chancellor Merz of Germany and President Zelenskyy of Ukraine on the phone on Friday, is having more conversations today with key partners as they work out how to handle Trump and improve this deal for Ukraine.
One diplomatic source told me allies are being very careful not to criticise Trump or his approach for fear of exacerbating an already delicate situation.
Instead, the prime minister is directing his attacks at Russia.
Read more:
Trump’s 28-point Ukraine peace plan in full
Analysis: We could all pay if Europe doesn’t guarantee Ukraine’s security
Prime Minister Keir Starmer attends a plenary session on the first day of the G20 Leaders’ Summit. Pic: Reuters
“There is only one country around the G20 table that is not calling for a ceasefire in Ukraine and one country that is deploying a barrage of drones and missiles to destroy livelihoods and murder innocent civilians,” he said on Friday evening.
“Time and again, Russia pretends to be serious about peace, but its actions never live up to its words.”
Pic: AP
On the Trump plan, the prime minister said allies are meetin on Saturday “to discuss the current proposal on the table, and in support of Trump’s push for peace, look at how we can strengthen this plan for the next phase of negotiations”.
Strengthening the plan really means that they want to rebalance it towards Ukraine’s position and make it tougher on Russia.
“Ukraine has been ready to negotiate for months, while Russia has stalled and continued its murderous rampage. That is why we must all work together with both the US and Ukraine, to secure a just and lasting peace once and for all,” said the prime minister.
“We will continue to coordinate closely with Washington and Kyiv to achieve that. However, we cannot simply wait for peace.
“We must strain every sinew to secure it. We must cut off Putin’s finance flows by ending our reliance on Russian gas. It won’t be easy, but it’s the right thing to do.”
Pic: AP
Europeans hadn’t even seen this deal earlier in the week, in a sign that the US is cutting other allies out of negotiations – for now at least.
Starmer and other European leaders want to get to a position where Ukraine and Europe are at least at the table.
There is some discussion about whether European leaders such as Macron and Meloni might travel to Washington to speak to Trump early next week in order to persuade him of the European and Ukrainian perspective, as leaders did last August following the US-Russian summit in Alaska.
But Sky News understands there are no discussions about the PM travelling to Washington next week ahead of the budget.
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