Laura Johnson was director of housing at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea when the Grenfell Tower fire killed 72 people in 2017. She has now left a senior housing job at the Barnet Group after a backlash from bereaved families and survivors. The Guardian reports that the company confirmed her departure in a letter to a local MP but would not say what led to it.
What happened
According to The Guardian, Johnson was appointed in August as director of development and property at the Barnet Group, which manages the borough’s 13,000 council homes. The job paid £157,078 a year.
Criticism came quickly. Bereaved families and survivors called the appointment “outrageous and disrespectful”. Their objection rested on the Grenfell Tower public inquiry, which criticised Johnson for her part in budget-cutting decisions before the fire. The inquiry found that she pushed for a new contractor to carry out the tower’s renovation on a lower budget. That ultimately meant metal cladding was swapped for combustible plastic-filled panels to save money.
Last month a Barnet Group spokesperson defended the decision. They said Johnson had been the “strongest candidate” in a competitive field and that the company had considered her “professional experience, subsequent performance, references, qualifications and overall suitability for the role”. Around the same time, Angela Rayner, the housing secretary, is understood to have written to the company. She asked for more information about the appointment and the basis on which it was made.
The company has now confirmed in a letter to Joe Powell that Johnson is “no longer employed by The Barnet Group”. Powell is the Labour MP for Kensington and Bayswater, the constituency where Grenfell Tower stood. In the letter, the chair of the board, Eamon McGoldrick, said the company fully recognised “the depth of feeling surrounding the Grenfell Tower tragedy and its continuing impact on bereaved families, survivors, residents and the wider community”. He also acknowledged “legitimate public interest concerning governance of senior appointments”.
McGoldrick said he could not go into the details of Johnson’s situation. The Guardian notes that it is not clear exactly what led to her job being terminated. A company spokesperson said the Barnet Group owed obligations of confidentiality to staff and candidates, so it would be inappropriate to comment further.
Why it matters if you live in United Kingdom
Grenfell remains one of the defining public safety failures in modern Britain, and this case shows the debate is far from over. The central question is who should be trusted with the safety of people living in social housing. The Barnet Group alone looks after 13,000 council homes. If you rent from a council or a housing organisation, the people in senior property roles make decisions about the buildings you live in.
Survivors argue that the problem goes beyond one appointment. A spokesperson for Grenfell United, which represents survivors and bereaved families, welcomed the news but called it a “scandal” that Johnson had been given the role at all. “More than nine years after Grenfell, it should not take bereaved families and survivors campaigning for a housing organisation to take the inquiry’s findings seriously,” they said. The group added that others whose conduct was singled out by the inquiry “continue to hold positions of authority, have responsibility for health and safety, and draw large salaries”.
Powell set out a firm position. “It’s totally inappropriate for any individual criticised by the inquiry to continue to work in housing, particularly while criminal investigations are ongoing,” he said, adding that the inquiry “was clear about the failings of the RBKC and senior individuals involved in the management of their housing, including the tower.”
The episode also shows how pressure works in British public life. Campaigning by survivors, a constituency MP raising the case and a letter from the housing secretary all came before the company confirmed Johnson’s departure. For residents and voters, it is a reminder that MPs and ministers can be asked to step in when public bodies make controversial hiring decisions.
What to watch next
The bigger moment is the criminal process. Last month the Metropolitan Police said it had asked prosecutors to consider charges including manslaughter and fraud against 54 individuals and 20 companies and organisations in relation to the fire. The Crown Prosecution Service has said it will make charging decisions before the 10th anniversary of the disaster on 14 June 2027.
Grenfell United has made clear that it sees Johnson’s exit as a start rather than an end. Expect continued scrutiny of other people named in the inquiry’s findings who still work in roles involving public safety. Rayner’s intervention may also raise wider questions about how housing bodies vet senior appointments, although the source does not say whether any formal review will follow. For now, the families’ demand is simple: the inquiry’s findings should have consequences, in court and in the workplace.
Source: The Guardian
Sources
- The Guardian: Ex-director who oversaw Grenfell cost-cutting leaves council housing role after backlash, accessed 12 October 2026
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