Former Grenfell Housing Chief Leaves Barnet Role After Survivor Pressure
Laura Johnson is no longer employed by The Barnet Group. The housing manager confirmed her departure in a letter to Joe Powell, the Labour MP for Kensington and Bayswater, where Grenfell Tower stood. The Guardian
Johnson was director of housing at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea during the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire. The fire killed 72 people. She left the Barnet role after weeks of pressure from bereaved families and survivors over her appointment to another senior housing post.
The Grenfell inquiry, a formal fact-finding investigation that cannot convict anyone, criticised Johnson for budget-cutting decisions before the fire. Investigators heard she pushed for a new contractor to renovate Grenfell Tower on a lower budget. That led to metal cladding being swapped for cheaper panels filled with combustible plastic to save money.
In August, Johnson was appointed director of development and property at the Barnet Group. The group manages 13,000 council homes in the borough. Her salary was £157,078. She had served as interim director of property and development there since June 2025 before taking the post permanently.
Bereaved families and survivors described the permanent appointment as "outrageous and disrespectful". Survivors and bereaved families urged the Barnet Group to reconsider the decision. The Guardian One Grenfell campaigner said 'nothing has been learned' after Johnson landed the job. Metro
No criminal charges have yet been brought over the fire. The Metropolitan Police asked prosecutors to consider charges including manslaughter, meaning death caused by serious negligence, and fraud against 54 individuals and 20 companies and organisations. The Crown Prosecution Service said charging decisions will be made before the 10th anniversary on 14 June 2027.
The broader context here is the gap between a public inquiry and a criminal case. The inquiry can criticise decisions and set out what happened. It cannot impose job penalties or criminal guilt. Social housing employers must weigh inquiry findings against employment law and hiring needs, often without a final court ruling to use as guidance.
Looking at what this means for the sector, the timing is instructive. The appointment stood for almost two months. It ended only after sustained objections from survivors and intervention by an MP. That suggests housing providers still lack an agreed standard for senior staff criticised in major inquiries while charging decisions are pending. With the prosecution deadline less than eight months away, that gap will stay under scrutiny.
