Swindon Borough Council is to conduct a review and make a report on what can be done about damp and mould in housing after a tragic death which made national headlines.

This will affect its own council houses and flats but it is also looking at the privately rented sector and owner-occupied homes.

At the council’s adults’ health care and housing oversight committee Chairman Curtis Flux asked the cabinet member for housing and health inequalities Cathy Martyn whether the council might look at the issue after a coroner ruled that two-year old Awaab Ishak died because of the mould in the Rochdale housing association flat in which he lived.

Coun Martyn said the wheels were already in motion: “This was already a priority for us this year, it’s been heightened since the reports of Awaab Ishak’s death.”

Coun Martyn said there is a meeting scheduled for the next few weeks with a number of different service areas: “We’ll be looking at council housing, but also the private rented sector and even homeowners.

“We need to make sure we can get the right information together, and we’ll be bringing in the health services on board as well.

“We need to make sure we bring it all together and there will be a report in January.”