Grenfell housing chief leaves council role after family backlash

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 12 Oct, 21:57 · Archive

Laura Johnson, who oversaw cost-cutting at Grenfell Tower before the 2017 fire, has left a £150,000-a-year housing role after two months.

Laura Johnson, who was director of housing at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, has left her role as director of development and property at the Barnet Group after approximately two months in the position. Johnson was at RBKC during the 2017 Grenfell Tower fire, which killed 72 people. The public inquiry into the fire criticised her for budget-cutting decisions made before the blaze, including pushing for a new contractor to carry out renovation works on a lower budget. This decision ultimately led to metal cladding being replaced with cheaper combustible plastic-filled panels.

Johnson was appointed to the Barnet Group position in August on a salary of £157,078, managing the borough's 13,000 council homes. Bereaved families and survivors, including the group Grenfell United, strongly opposed the appointment, describing it as 'outrageous and disrespectful' and 'a slap in the face'. The Barnet Group confirmed in a letter to Joe Powell, Labour MP for Kensington and Bayswater, that Johnson was 'no longer employed' by the company, though the exact reasons for her departure remain unclear. Eamon McGoldrick, chair of the board, acknowledged 'the depth of feeling surrounding the Grenfell Tower tragedy' and said the organisation recognised the 'legitimate public interest concerning governance of senior appointments'.

How it is being reported

• Ex-Grenfell housing chief who oversaw cost-cutting leaves £157,000-a-year council role after backlashLaura Johnson was the housing chief at the Borough of Kensington and Chelsea at the time of the deadly Grenfell fire — she has left her new £157,000-a-year council role just two months inThe Mirror · 12 Oct, 21:33
• Former Grenfell Tower housing boss leaves £150,000 council property role after backlashSurvivors had criticised ‘outrageous’ appointment of Laura Johnson, who oversaw cost-cutting measures before fire, to Barnet Group A housing director who oversaw cost cutting at Grenfell Tower before the fatal fire has left a £150,000-a-year senior council housing role after a backlash from bereaved families and survivors. Laura Johnson was the director of housing at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) at the time of the 2017 Grenfell fire which killed 72 people;p, and was criticised in the subsequent inquiry for her role in budget-cutting decisions prior to the blaze.…The Guardian · 12 Oct, 10:24

In this story: Laura Johnson · Grenfell Tower · Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea · Barnet Group · Joe Powell · Grenfell United

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