The third Neil May Memorial Lecture will take place on Thursday 21 March at midday. Titled Mould, Damp and Health Inequalities, it will focus attention on an issue that Neil worked hard to combat, and the potential that new legislation holds to tackle it, in the form of Awaab’s Law, which is currently under consultation for implementation timescales. The event has been organised by the ASBP, in partnership with UKIEG, UKCMB, the SDF and with support from 21°.
About
The tragic death of Awaab Ishak shocked us all. The death of a child is always heart-breaking – the more so when it is entirely preventable. Awaab was aged just two when he died in December 2020, as a direct result of exposure to mould in the social home his family rented from Rochdale Boroughwide Housing. His parents raised concerns about their living conditions time and again. The landlord not only repeatedly failed to act, but blamed the family for causing the hazardous mould. Awaab’s Law, which was introduced in the Social Housing Regulation Act 2023, requires landlords to investigate and fix reported health hazards within specified timeframes.
On 20 July 2023, Awaab’s Law entered the statute book through Clause 42 of the Social Housing (Regulation) Act. Awaab’s Law effectively inserts into social housing tenancy agreements a term (called an implied term) that will require landlords to comply with new requirements, to be set in detail through secondary legislation. This means all registered providers of social housing (also referred to as ‘social landlords’) will have to meet these requirements and, if they fail to do so, tenants will be able to hold their landlords to account by taking legal action through the courts for a breach of contract.
The event will open with a quick recap of Neil May’s considerable achievements including helping set up ASBP, UKCMB, GHA and STBA. Contributions will follow from Dr Andy Knox, a GP who leads on population health for the NHS in Lancashire and South Cumbria, Prof. Sani Dimitroulopolou, Chair of the UKIEG, and Dr Valentina Marincioni, from the UCL Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering and UKCMB, bringing us the latest updates and discussions on remedial steps and prevention.
“People are stuck between a rock and a hard place. This is becoming a really major health issue for us as a nation and we need legislation that is going to properly deal with it.”
Dr Andy Knox
Speakers
Dr Andy Knox, Associate Medical Director, Population Health,
NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board
Prof. Sani Dimitroulopoulou Principal Environmental Public Health Scientist – Indoor Environments, Air Quality and Public Health, UK Health Security Agency and Chair of UKIEG
Dr Valentina Marincioni, Lecturer (Teaching) in Building Physics, The Bartlett School of Environment, Energy and Resources, UCL Institute for Environmental Design and Engineering and UKCMB
Find more details and book via the ASBP website:
Costs and booking
Booking is now open via the ASBP website.
ASBP/UKIEG/UKCMB members: £10
General admission: £20