Grenfell Housing Boss Appointment Sparks Fury in Barnet Council 2026

Key Points

• Former Kensington and Chelsea housing director Laura Johnson has been permanently appointed as group director of development and property at The Barnet Group.
• Johnson, who joined Barnet Homes in an interim role in June 2024, will receive a salary of up to £157,078 per year.
• Barnet’s sole Green councillor, Charli Thompson, condemned the move and questioned how the council could see the decision as “anything other than appalling”.
• The Grenfell Tower Inquiry found Johnson forced a retender of refurbishment works that led to combustible ACM cladding being installed, and delayed self-closing fire door installations for financial and practical reasons.
• Barnet Council said Johnson was selected on merit through a competitive recruitment process and noted her involvement in securing a C1 rating from the Regulator of Social Housing.

BARNET (North London News) August 29, 2026 – Barnet Council’s decision to appoint the former housing director of Kensington and Chelsea during the Grenfell Tower fire to a permanent senior executive post has been branded “appalling” by a local councillor.

Laura Johnson, who served as the director of housing at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) from 2009 until after the June 2017 tragedy that claimed 72 lives, has been awarded the permanent role of group director of development and property at The Barnet Group. The council-owned company operates Barnet Homes, an arm’s length management organisation (Almo) tasked with overseeing more than 14,000 council-owned properties across the borough.

As reported by Joe Ives of the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Johnson was originally hired by Barnet Homes as a senior interim housing officer in June 2024. Following a recent internal decision, she has now been confirmed in the permanent executive post, which carries an annual salary of up to £157,078.

The announcement has ignited fierce political condemnation regarding local government accountability, senior public sector appointments, and building safety management in North London.

Why Is the Appointment of Laura Johnson Facing Fierce Political Backlash?

Speaking to Joe Ives of the LDRS, Councillor Charli Thompson, Barnet Council’s only Green Party member, fiercely criticized the local authority’s decision.

As reported by Joe Ives of the LDRS, Cllr Thompson questioned how the local authority could regard Johnson’s appointment as “anything other than appalling”.

Cllr Thompson stated:

“Whoever holds a safety-critical position of this kind needs to bring total public confidence in their judgement.”

Highlighting the scale of oversight granted to the former RBKC official, Cllr Thompson added:

“Handing Johnson one of the most senior, highly paid roles delivering services for Barnet Council, with responsibility for thousands of homes, shows that no matter how serious the consequences of her previous decisions, there is no accountability.”

The Green councillor also highlighted the unresolved grief of those affected by the 2017 disaster, noting: “The Grenfell Inquiry made serious findings about decisions Laura Johnson took in her role as director of housing at Kensington and Chelsea. Nine years on, the bereaved families and survivors of Grenfell are still waiting for justice.”

As reported by Joe Ives of the LDRS, Cllr Thompson further categorized the recruitment as a symptom of institutional failure, describing it as an example “of a local government system so disconnected from the public it’s meant to serve, that it has lost the ability to see itself as others do.”

What Did the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Reveal About Laura Johnson’s Past Decisions?

The public proceedings of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry, established to examine the root causes of the 14 June 2017 fire, meticulously scrutinized Laura Johnson’s operational actions during her tenure at RBKC.

As reported by Joe Ives of the LDRS, official inquiry findings demonstrated that Johnson directly intervened during the procurement phase of the Grenfell Tower refurbishment. Disenchanted with initial budget estimates, she demanded that the works be retendered to reduce total costs.

The contractor that subsequently secured the retendered contract on a “value for money” basis replaced specified metal cladding with highly combustible plastic-filled aluminium composite material (ACM) panels, which ultimately accelerated the inferno.

Furthermore, evidence delivered to the inquiry revealed that Johnson actively slowed down the installation of self-closing mechanisms on fire doors throughout the high-rise tower—a crucial fire containment measure requested by the London Fire Brigade—citing “financial and practical reasons”.

Beyond physical building works, testimony before the inquiry also detailed the municipal response in the immediate aftermath of the disaster. As reported by Dermot Keating, counsel to the inquiry, and documented by Inside Housing, Johnson was questioned extensively on RBKC’s failure to provide adequate emergency accommodation to displaced survivors, leaving vulnerable residents and families with young children without proper shelter or support in the days following the blaze.

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How Has Barnet Council Defended Its Recruitment Process and Staff Rating?

In response to the growing public and political criticism, Barnet Council mounted a formal defense of its decision to confirm Johnson in the executive position.

As reported by Joe Ives of the LDRS, a spokesperson for Barnet Council stated:

“The role of group director of development and property at The Barnet Group was publicly advertised and attracted a competitive field of candidates. A robust recruitment process was undertaken to assess applicants against the requirements of the role, and Laura Johnson was appointed on merit as the strongest candidate, and she has subsequently been appointed to the role on a permanent basis.”

The council spokesperson firmly refused to elaborate on her previous employment history, adding: “Barnet Homes and Barnet Council will not discuss matters relating to members of staff which took place during previous employment.”

Seeking to reassure residents, the spokesperson stated:

“Our thoughts remain with the survivors and family and friends of all those affected by the tragic Grenfell Tower fire. The safety and wellbeing of our residents is our top priority.”

The local authority also highlighted recent operational achievements under Johnson’s interim stewardship, stating:

“Following an inspection in 2025, Barnet Council received a C1 grading from the Regulator of Social Housing, the highest possible rating for landlords of social housing. Laura Johnson played an intrinsic role in securing this rating, placing Barnet Homes among the top tier of social housing providers in the capital.”

According to the council, the social housing regulator determined that Barnet Council and Barnet Homes maintain a clear understanding of building conditions, comply with statutory health and safety requirements, and implement robust plans to continuously improve resident outcomes.

Background of the Grenfell Housing Controversy and Barnet Homes Oversight

The disaster at Grenfell Tower on 14 June 2017 remains the deadliest residential structural fire in the United Kingdom since World War II, resulting in 72 fatalities and leaving hundreds homeless. The tragedy exposed systemic regulatory failures across central government, local authorities, construction firms, and materials manufacturers. Central to the public inquiry’s findings was the practice of “value engineering”—cutting costs on essential structural items, including insulation and cladding, without adequate risk assessment.

In the years following the fire, local councils across London faced intense scrutiny regarding their housing management structures. Many London boroughs rely on Arm’s Length Management Organisations (ALMOs)—such as The Barnet Group—to manage council housing portfolios. While ALMOs operate as council-owned entities, their executive hiring processes are frequently insulated from direct council chamber votes, periodically leading to governance friction between elected local politicians and appointed corporate executives.

Barnet Homes manages over 14,000 residential units in North London. Since 2017, Barnet Council has committed more than £75 million to structural fire safety upgrades, including the remediation of dangerous cladding on municipal high-rise blocks. However, the inclusion of individuals named in the Grenfell Inquiry within senior building safety structures continues to generate public debate surrounding executive transparency and ethics in social housing management.

Prediction: How This Development May Affect Barnet Residents and Social Housing Governance

The decision to permanently install Laura Johnson in a top housing governance post is likely to have multi-faceted ramifications across the borough of Barnet and the wider social housing sector:

• Tenant Trust and Public Confidence: For the 14,000 households relying on Barnet Homes, the appointment risks eroding trust between residents and housing management. Tenants living in high-rise structures undergoing building safety updates may express heightened scrutiny or skepticism regarding management decisions, maintenance retendering, and safety compliance.
• Political Scrutiny and Chamber Debates: Elected local representatives and activist groups will likely escalate pressure on Barnet Council leadership. The controversy may lead to motions in the council chamber demanding greater political oversight over executive recruitment within municipal Almos like The Barnet Group.
• Regulatory and Legal Risk Management: While Barnet Council currently holds a top-tier C1 regulatory rating, future building maintenance audits will carry significant reputational stakes. Any future health and safety operational oversights within Barnet’s housing portfolio could face intensified legal and media scrutiny due to the executive leadership history now established at the top of the organization.