​Under-fire RBH appoints Yvonne Arrowsmith as interim CEO

Rochdale Boroughwide Housing has appointed East Thames boss Yvonne Arrowsmith as its interim chief executive, following crticism over the death of a toddler in one of its properties. 

Arrowsmith, who has been a non-executive director at One Housing Group since 2018, will oversee changes at RBH needed after a two-year-old died from exposure to black mould. The furore over the death led to the sacking of previous chief executive Gareth Swarbrick last month.

A statement from the chair of the board and chair of the representative body said:  “We want to start by saying again how sorry we are for the loss of Awaab. We know our words will not take away the pain felt by his family, nor will they heal the hurt being felt here in Rochdale as well as across the country.”

Arrowsmith has worked in the social housing sector for 30 years. Between 2018 and 2019 she was interim chief executive at Saffron Housing Trust.

She was group operations director and group director of supported housing at Family Mosaic, and Essex regional director at New Essex housing association from 1995 to 2005. 

Before working in social housing Arrowsmith was a nurse. 

She starts at RBH on 12 December. The chair of the board and chair of the representative body added: “We are looking forward to working with her to make sure that we deliver the quality of homes and services that our tenants deserve and expect.”

The coroner at the inquest of Awaab Ishak called the two-year-old’s death “a defining moment” for the housing sector. Michael Gove pledged to block affordable housing providers who breached consumer standards from receiving development funding following the news of the death. 

Arrowsmith said: “This is a difficult time to be joining RBH, following the tragic death of Awaab Ishak. His death and the coroner’s verdict into it have rightly shocked the social housing sector. I strongly believe that everyone has the right to live in a home that is safe and secure.”

She pledged that she would “prioritise the safety and security of people living in our homes, to make sure that action is taken where it is needed, and to begin the process of earning the trust and confidence of our residents.”