The housing association at the centre of the tragic Awaab Ishak case has appointed a new chief executive.

Amanda Newton will join Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) in the autumn. She is currently Executive Director for Customer Insight at Livv Housing Group.

The inquest into the death of two-year-old Awaab, who died in 2020 after prolonged exposure to mould in the house his parents rented from Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH), caused a national scandal.

The case led to an intervention by the Secretary of State for housing, Michael Gove, who called on RBH chief executive Gareth Swarbrick to resign and prompted the creation of ‘Awaab’s Law’, which will force social landlords to fix damp and mould within strict time limits.

Announcing Amanda Newton’s appointment as their new chief executive, RBH said she will lead the organisation as it “continues to deliver its recovery and improvement plan.”

Kevin Brady, Chair of the RBH Board, said: “I’m absolutely delighted to welcome Amanda to RBH. I am looking forward to working together to drive forward our recovery plan at pace and embed our new governance arrangements.

“Amanda brings a wealth of experience from across the public, private, and social housing sectors. Her experience in implementing large scale transformation programmes, aligned to an unrelenting customer focus, will be a formidable asset to RBH as we reshape our services around our tenants and the quality of our homes. Amanda is joining us at a challenging and exciting time for RBH and the board extends a warm Rochdale welcome!”

Amanda Newton said: “Having the opportunity to lead an organisation like RBH, that is anchored in its communities and has a real ambition to do great things for its tenants, is an honour and a privilege.

“I’m looking forward to moving forward the recovery plan – working alongside the Board, the Representative Body and brilliant colleagues to rebuild an organisation that focuses on its tenants, the quality of its homes, and the value that it brings to the wider community.

“There are exciting times ahead and we’ll approach this together with an unwavering commitment to do the very best for the people of Rochdale who live in our homes today and in the future.”