Ex-Grenfell housing chief appointed to senior Barnet council role
Laura Johnson, who oversaw housing at Kensington and Chelsea during the 2017 Grenfell fire, has been made permanent director at the Barnet Group. Survivors and bereaved relatives have called the appointment outrageous.
The Barnet Group, which manages around 13,000 council homes in the borough, has appointed Laura Johnson as its permanent director of development and property on a salary of £157,078 a year. Johnson had already been filling the post on an interim basis before being confirmed permanently in August.
At the time of the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire, Johnson was director of housing at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. The Grenfell inquiry found that she had pushed for a new contractor to carry out the tower's renovation on a reduced budget, a decision that led to metal cladding being replaced with combustible plastic-filled panels to cut costs. The inquiry also found she delayed installing self-closing mechanisms on fire doors for "financial and practical reasons," despite warnings from the London fire brigade that this compromised escape routes.
Ed Daffarn, who escaped from the 16th floor of Grenfell Tower after repeatedly warning about fire risks, described the appointment as "absolutely outrageous." He said it was disrespectful that people involved in senior decision-making before the disaster could continue working in social housing with large salaries and safety responsibilities, while survivors have still not seen justice nine years on.
Grenfell United, the group representing survivors and bereaved families, has urged the Barnet Group to reconsider, saying the decision showed disregard for the inquiry's findings. The group also noted that the Metropolitan Police is seeking charges against 57 individuals and 20 companies over the fire, with the Crown Prosecution Service expecting to decide on charges by June 2027, the disaster's 10th anniversary.
A Barnet Group spokesperson said Johnson had been the "strongest candidate" following a competitive, publicly advertised recruitment process that took into account both the inquiry's findings and her subsequent professional experience and qualifications.
