Plans to crackdown on “rogue” social housing landlords who fail to provide safe homes have been announced today as part of ‘Awaab’s Law’.
The plans are to be delivered as part of a ‘landmark’ new social housing bill – which was given the Royal Ascent to become law in July 2023 – named after Greater Manchester toddler Awaab Ishak, who tragically died as a result of prolonged exposure to mould in his Rochdale home, a coroner ruled back in 2022.
Following Awaab’s tragic death, the Government has been pledging to deliver the new law – but today is the first time concrete plans to do so have been unveiled.
Under the consultation for the proposed new plans – which has been launched today by Housing Secretary, Michael Gove – social housing providers would be bound to strict time limits that force them to take swift action in addressing dangerous hazards, such as damp and mould.
Our landmark #SocialHousing Regulation Act receives Royal Assent to become law today.
We are improving the quality of social homes across England and clamping down on rogue landlords through new enforcement powers.
— Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities (@luhc) July 20, 2023
It proposes new legal requirements for social landlords to investigate hazards within 14 days, start fixing within a further seven days, and make emergency repairs within 24 hours.
Landlords who fail can be taken to court, and may be ordered to pay compensation for tenants.
On top of this, all social housing landlords will be expected to keep clear records to improve transparency for tenants by showing every attempt is made to comply with the new timescales, so they can no longer “dither and delay” to rectify people’s homes.
And if all of that didn’t sound promising enough as it is, through the measures announced today, tenants will also be able to take their landlords to court if they fail to fix dangerous hazards.
Mould in Awaab Ishak’s family home in Rochdale / Credit: GMP
The Government says this “builds on the progress already made to drive up social housing standards”.
Speaking as the proposals went out for consultation today, Housing Secretary Michael Gove commented: “The tragic death of Awaab Ishak should never have happened.
“His family have shown courageous leadership, determination and dignity to champion these changes, and now it’s time for us to deliver for them through Awaab’s Law. Today is about stronger and more robust action against social landlords who have refused to take their basic responsibilities seriously for far too long.
“We will force them to fix their homes within strict new time limits and take immediate action to tackle dangerous damp and mould to help prevent future tragedies.”
A new campaign has been launched by National Highways to raise awareness of an ‘intrusive’ driving act that 43% of Brits admit to doing.
Whether intentional or not, tailgating – a term used for driving too closely behind another vehicle – is known to create tension and anxiety for drivers across the UK, and remains a serious safety issue for other road users, which is why National Highways has launched a campaign to tackle the issue.
Recent Government statistics have shown that tailgating leads to an average of 147 deaths or serious injuries every year on motorways and major A-roads, with 60% of drivers saying that being tailgated makes them feel uncomfortable.
But despite this, 43% of drivers admit to tailgating ‘at least sometimes’.
The National Highways’ new campaign, titled Make the Change: Two Seconds is all it Takes, is working to highlight how one person’s driving behaviour, even if unintentional, can cause real stress for others.
The agency said the simple message in the campaign’s name highlights that all drivers need to do is maintain this ‘suitable’ following distance.
“Small changes in driving behaviour can have a big impact on overall road safety and everyone’s wellbeing on the road,” the campaign reads.
A new National Highways campaign has been launched to prevent ‘intrusive’ tailgating on UK roads / Credit: pxfuel
“Keeping a safe following distance of at least two seconds is a simple yet vital habit. It significantly improves road safety while promoting a calmer, more respectful driving atmosphere for everyone.
“Following another vehicle too closely can make the driver ahead feel stressed and pressured. It’s much like someone standing too near to you in a queue – uncomfortable and intrusive.
“Respecting space matters just as much on the road as it does in everyday life.”
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As a way of maintaining the two-second gap, the National Highways encourages drivers to ‘pick a fixed point up ahead’, such as a road sign or lamppost, and as the car in front passes it, start counting: ‘one thousand one, one thousand two’.
If you reach that point before finishing the count, you’re too close and need to ease off the accelerator to allow more space.
Featured Image – Edward Lawrence (via Unsplash)
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You can win tickets to sold-out Lewis Capaldi gigs at Greggs
Nationwide bakery chain Greggs has partnered with singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi for a chance to win tickets for his sold-out UK tour.
Now, if there’s one thing we love more than sausage rolls, it’s watching Glasgow solo star Lewis Capaldi perform his smash hit singles to crowds of roaring fans –and Glastonbury proved that.
The ‘Hold Me While You Wait’ singer recently announced his latest UK tour, and to no one’s surprise, it sold out within minutes, with extra dates added in each city.
Leave it to Greggs, one of the UK’s favourite savoury pick-me-up companies, and its new campaign with Capaldi, which offers lucky fans the chance to win tickets to one of these sold-out UK tour dates – How ‘Grace'(ful).
This new campaign, titled ‘Someone you look like?’ – inspired by the chart-topping anthem ‘Someone You Loved’ – encourages fans of the Scottish Beyoncé to dress up in an outrageous outfit inspired by one of Lewis’ many stylish looks.
Greggs and Lewis Capaldi are offering fans the chance to win tickets to his sellout tour across five of the bakery chain’s sites, including London, Birmingham, Sheffield, Glasgow and right here in Manchester.
The bond between Greggs and Capaldi isn’t new either, as the ‘Bruises’ penman worked a shift for the savoury suppliers back in 2019, having a blue plaque erected at this very Middlesbrough site professing his love for a tuna crunch butty.
This isn’t the only competition that UK bakery chain Greggs is currently running; it’s also teamed up with package holiday brand Jet2 to give away a holiday at the same price as their iconic sausage rolls.
Whilst you’re at it…
Greggs and Lewis Capaldi have 25 pairs of tickets to win per restaurant location and the nearest bakery spot running this promotion is theSalford site located at Media City, M50 2HF on Tuesday, 22 July 2025. All information can be found HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
9th January 2024 
