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- Awaab Ishak
- Malika Hibu
- Akram Mohammed
- Kwajo Tweneboa
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Akram Mohammed
On 15th August 25, I attended my first ever coroner's hearing for the late 15 weeks old toddler Akram Mohammed. I am writing this on the weekend after the hearing as a narrative verdict will be/have been delivered to the parties on 18th August 25.
My article here is without prejudice to whatever decision is made by the coroner.
Prior to this experience I had only ever visited a coroner's office once whereby for my late relative I requested a correction to be made to the death certificate just over 20 years ago.
Baby Akram sadly died on 21st February 25. As similar to the late Awaab Ishak, I visited the block near Finchley Road, London where Akram lived after LBC Radio had interviewed Akram's parents Mr Abdushafi and Mrs Aiat Mohammed.
Their baby son Akram sadly shortly had before he died started struggling to breathe. His father took him in his arms and ran to hospital.
Baby Akram's mother, Aiat described her son as a "happy, playful baby". Baby Akram's father, Abdushafi, said he had hoped for him to have become a doctor. Baby Akram was born on 8th Nov 2024.
Two days before the inquest, the BBC had reported about child deaths within social housing and the Housing Ombudsman created a report about window related disrepairs. There were examples of no repairs to windows even when children were living in conditions where they could have fallen out of the window and with there being broken glass.
The Ombudsman described the report as grim reading and he had only written to Chief Executives on two occasions, the second occasion being about window disrepairs, previously it was about damp and mould.
Given the two above reports, I am pleased in seeing the impact the Barrister Christian Weaver has made in improving health and safety for children living within social housing.
Praise must also be given to his other colleagues and Ison Harrison solicitors who last year raised the campaign in improving child safety within social housing.
For a while I've been thinking about a key gap that exists within social housing inquiries and investigations and especially after having read sections 4, 5 and 6 of the Grenfell Phase 2 report.
With investigations by the Housing Ombudsman and with no fault of the service as its restricted by its jurisdiction, no financial evidence of a social provider is considered.
The closest I've seen to date is whereby one social landlord made a decision about repairs based on the investment of doing them and it's return rather than the actual need and requirement to carry out the repairs.
In October 2023 whilst 7 social landlords anonymously complained about the Housing Ombudsman to the statistics regulator about industry complaints performance data, I had produced consolidated data including financial information for all social landlords so that this would enable stakeholders to identify if say there had been enough financial provisions being made for say disrepairs.
Similarly the Grenfell report stated it did not have enough financial information. There were questions considered like whether RBKC (the council) would have released more funds to the KCTMO (the Tenant Management Organisation).
There also did not appear to be much focus by the inquiry about what the KCTMO spent monies on and if there could have been a save in spending in certain things so as to be able to spend in others.
Alot of the narrative has been about specifically saving money during the refurbishment of Grenfell such as via value engineering.
On the whole though, the Phase 2 report is comprehensive and detailed.
In reviewing financial and other information about Baby Akram's landlord, I have collated key data and insights.
-For rented social housing properties, the costs of repairs between the two years had some variables. With routine maintenance the expenditure was £98.6m in 24/25 compared to £90.3m in 23/24. Planned maintenance was £10.8m in 24/25 compared to £11.2m in 23/24. Major repairs expenditure was £39.8m in 24/25 compared to £36.0m in 23/24.
-There have been some governance issues with Baby Akram's landlord, it has a non compliant grading with the regulator and in recent years not submitted its year end financial statements on time.
-It has appealed a High Court judgment to the Court of Appeal; a fact that was established in the High Court was that "by late 2018, the social landlord was actively discussing internally how to terminate its relationship with it's former contractor, including by putting it under financial pressure so as to force it into administration". Baby Akram's landlord was required to pay it's former contractor £4m. There were also issues around the contractor not being able to gain access in installing energy meters.
-It had lost a First Tier Tribunal (Property Chamber) decision about service charges (it is not known if the landlord will appeal). The leaseholders/shared owners in the case had raised funds for its legal costs via a crowdfunding advertisement, the applicants had needed £18,600.
-In a BBC programme in early 2025, the journalist Tarah Welch presented an example whereby a leaseholder at a block in Essex was being charged for some services not being provided.
-In its 24-25 financial report, Baby Akram's landlord wrote off £21.2million in service charges. It said that it had "examined all previous balances and adopted a resident centric perspective on the robustness of the information".
Baby Akram's landlord had two wider 54f orders for specific issues from the Housing Ombudsman and that as it already had these, further wider 54f orders were not issued in similar cases.
To clarify a wider 54f order is a directive to a social landlord to review its policies and practices related to a specific area of service, such as repairs or complaint handling, that has led to multiple complaints. This review aims to identify and address systemic issues to prevent future similar complaints.
The order, under paragraph 54f of the scheme requires the landlord to analyse its procedures, produce a report with findings and recommendations, and implement those recommendations.
The two specific wider 54f issues for Baby Akram's landlord related to condensation, damp and mould and the other being about staff conduct.
For Baby Akram's landlord, there are cases where severe maladministration were found for damp and mould. Severe maladministration is when a landlord has failed significantly in its duties, demonstrating serious service failure that has caused residents substantial harm, distress, or disadvantage.
The cases are 202326292, 202342198, 202308931 (this case alleges the death of the late resident being caused by Baby Akram's landlord which couldn't be investigated by the Ombudsman due to being out of its jurisdiction), 202315817, 202126871, 202205755, 202218016, 202214808 and 202005633.
There maybe other cases which are not known as these are not published by the Ombudsman due to when it is not in the resident’s or landlord’s interest or the resident’s anonymity may be compromised.
For all severe maladministration decisions irrespective of issue for Baby Akram's landlord, there had been six in 2023 and ten in 2024.
Possible changes to rent increases may result in additional revenue for social landlords. At the time of writing this, the Regulator has created a "Rent Convergence" consultation.
This determines if social landlords will be permitted to apply an increase each year of either £1 or £2 more per week where the weekly net rent has not reached what is known as formula rent. The £1 or £2 would be on top of the relevant annual CPI (Consumer Price Index) plus 1℅.
At present a social landlord can apply the full formula rent plus any relevant tolerance percentage upon relet of a specific property.
At Baby Akram's inquest, it began with questions about strep B and it's possible impact on babies. There were also questions about how Baby Akram was born.
From what I could recall the pregnancy delivery was from 0230am to 0246am.
The coroner then explored what occurred at the hospital when Baby Akram was admitted on the night he died after suffering from breathing difficulties.
One medical professional was asked about how the resussertation process took place.
The GP for Baby Akram was then questioned. I'm not an expert in these kinds of issues but I think the purpose of this was to explore if there had been any possible delayed diagnosis, misdiagnosis or incorrect treatment for Baby Akram.
After lunch and via video link (not in person), another medical expert was asked by the coroner about the test results that were taken after Baby Akram died. The medical expert gave her comments.
The solicitor for Baby Akram's family referred to government guidelines about damp and mould which the medical expert that advised about the test results gave comments to.
Finally Baby Akram's parents gave evidence.
As I had emphasised in October 2023, the regulator's enforcement powers will be strengthened, allowing the regulator to require Performance Improvement Plans from landlords, make emergency repairs where needed, and issue unlimited fines to failing landlords. This could change if the current government decides to do so.
But given the above, it is very unlikely that the MHCLG will write to specific landlords who are identified as having been issued with a severe maladministration decision by the Ombudsman.
The MHCLG responded to me on 13th March 25 stating "through the Social Housing Regulation Act, the Government has created a strong, proactive consumer regulatory regime, giving the Regulator stronger powers to proactively monitor and gain assurance that providers are delivering the outcomes of the strengthened consumer standards, as part of the new consumer regime, the Regulator has begun carrying out regular inspections of large landlords".
The former Rt Hon Michael Gove MP used to write to specific landlords who had received a severe maladministration order.
It's a shame that in recent years, we don't hear more stories like the two below.
May Baby Akram be granted the highest paradise in heaven.