Former Grenfell housing director appointed to £150,000 council post

Laura Johnson, who served as the housing director for the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea at the time of the Grenfell Tower fire, has been appointed permanent director of development and property at the Barnet Group, overseeing 13,000 council homes and earning £157,078 annually. A public inquiry into the disaster concluded that Johnson advocated for a lower-cost contractor, leading to the use of plastic-filled cladding and a slowdown in fitting self-closing fire doors despite fire brigade warnings.

Survivors, including Ed Daffarn who escaped the blaze, have denounced the decision as outrageous and disrespectful to the bereaved. The Barnet Group defended the hire, stating that Johnson emerged as the strongest candidate after a competitive, advertised recruitment process and that the inquiry findings were considered. The appointment has reignited calls for accountability over the safety failures that contributed to the 72 deaths at Grenfell.