Key Points
- Departure Confirmed: Former Grenfell Tower housing chief Laura Johnson is no longer employed by The Barnet Group, the arm’s-length management organisation running Barnet Council’s housing services, following widespread public condemnation.
- High-Level Role: Johnson had recently been appointed to a senior £157,078-a-year permanent position as Group Director of Development and Property at Barnet Homes.
- Public Outrage: Bereaved families and survivors of the 2017 Grenfell Tower disaster condemned her appointment as “a scandal”, “outrageous”, and “disrespectful” given her role in overseeing housing safety at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) during the fire.
- Employer Confidentiality: Barnet Homes refused to detail the exact circumstances of her exit, citing employment confidentiality obligations, while confirming she had ceased employment.
- Defensive Council Position: Prior to her departure, Barnet Group had defended hiring Johnson, stating she was the “strongest candidate” in a competitive recruitment process and was “legally eligible” for the role.
- Inquiry Findings & Legal Actions: The exit comes amidst the backdrop of the Grenfell Tower Public Inquiry findings and the Metropolitan Police requesting charging decisions against 54 individuals and 20 organisations.
Barnet Council (North London News) October 13, 2026 – Laura Johnson, the former housing chief at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) who oversaw local housing during the tragic 2017 Grenfell Tower disaster, is no longer employed by The Barnet Group. Her departure follows intense public anger and condemnation from Grenfell survivors and bereaved families after she was recently appointed to a permanent senior executive role within Barnet Council’s housing arm.
- Key Points
- Why has Laura Johnson departed her role at Barnet Homes?
- How did Barnet Council defend the controversial appointment initially?
- What media outlets reported on her exit notice and local reaction?
- What is the background of the Grenfell Tower housing management controversy?
- What is the prediction for how this development will affect local residents and public housing authorities?
Why has Laura Johnson departed her role at Barnet Homes?
As reported by BBC News, Laura Johnson is no longer in her position as a group director at Barnet Homes after bereaved families and survivors of the Grenfell Tower tragedy fiercely condemned her appointment, describing the executive hire as “a scandal”.
Johnson previously served as the director of housing at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) when the devastating fire at Grenfell Tower took the lives of 72 people in June 2017. She subsequently gave extensive evidence to the Grenfell Tower Public Inquiry regarding the management and safety decisions taken prior to the tragedy.
Confirming the end of her tenure, a spokesperson for Barnet Homes stated:
“In common with any employer, we owe obligations of confidentiality to those working for us, applying for, or being considered for any role at any level. For that reason, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further,”
while explicitly confirming that she “is no longer employed by The Barnet Group.”
The BBC further confirmed that it has approached Johnson for personal comment through Barnet Council.
How did Barnet Council defend the controversial appointment initially?
As reported by The Guardian, Barnet Council and The Barnet Group had previously defended the recruitment of Johnson, who was appointed to the post of Director of Development and Property on a reported £157,078 salary.
Prior to her departure, a Barnet Group spokesperson insisted that Johnson had been the “strongest candidate” in a competitive field. The spokesperson explained that the recruitment panel had carefully evaluated her “professional experience, subsequent performance, references, qualifications and overall suitability for the role,” confirming that she was “legally eligible” for the post.
However, the appointment sparked widespread criticism across political and local community spectrums. As reported by David Floyd of the Barnet Post, Green Party councillor Charli Thompson labelled the hiring as “appalling,” stating to the Local Democracy Reporter Service:
“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.”
In response to the growing community outcry at the time, a Barnet Group spokesperson was quoted as saying:
“Our thoughts remain with the survivors and family and friends of all those affected by the tragic Grenfell Tower fire.”
What media outlets reported on her exit notice and local reaction?
As reported by David Floyd in the Barnet Post, Johnson’s departure from The Barnet Group was finalised on Friday, with members of the board being informed via a brief internal statement that offered no further detail on whether she resigned or was dismissed.
The Guardian further reported that written confirmation of her exit was communicated in a letter from Eamon McGoldrick, the chair of The Barnet Group, sent directly to Joe Powell, the Labour MP for Kensington and Bayswater.
Political figures in the borough quickly acknowledged the development. The Barnet Post noted that the Member of Parliament for Hendon publicly welcomed the departure of the former housing boss from her post at the council-owned entity.
Barnet Homes operates as an arm’s-length management organisation (ALMO) under The Barnet Group, holding direct operational responsibility for managing more than 14,000 council-owned social housing properties across the north London borough.
What is the background of the Grenfell Tower housing management controversy?
The controversy surrounding Laura Johnson’s career steps directly stems from her pivotal position at RBKC leading up to the 14 June 2017 fire at Grenfell Tower, which resulted in 72 fatalities.
According to findings detailed in the Grenfell Tower Public Inquiry and outlined by The Guardian and international media outlets, Johnson was a central executive figure in the management of the borough’s housing portfolio. The inquiry highlighted systemic failings within RBKC and its tenant management organization (TMO). Specifically, inquiry findings showed that Johnson was involved in cost-cutting deliberations that pressed for a new contractor to refurbish Grenfell Tower on a constrained budget. This process ultimately led to substituting zinc cladding with cheaper, highly combustible aluminium composite material (ACM) panels featuring plastic filler.
In September, the Metropolitan Police announced that it had submitted comprehensive evidence files to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), requesting consideration of criminal charges—including corporate manslaughter, gross negligence manslaughter, and fraud—against 54 individuals and 20 corporate entities or public organisations linked to the tragedy. The CPS indicated that formal charging decisions are expected ahead of the 10th anniversary of the disaster in June 2027.
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What is the prediction for how this development will affect local residents and public housing authorities?
This development will have significant direct and indirect consequences for social housing residents, local council authorities, and senior housing management figures across the United Kingdom.
1. Increased Scrutiny and Vetting for Public Housing Appointments
The swift fallout and abrupt termination of Johnson’s contract demonstrate that public housing management boards (ALMOs) can no longer rely solely on formal legal eligibility or traditional qualification checklists when hiring top-level managers. Public housing authorities will be forced to implement heightened vetting procedures that explicitly account for historical oversight, accountability, and public trust.
2. Restored Trust and Voice for Social Housing Residents
For social housing tenants—particularly the 14,000 households managed by Barnet Homes, as well as survivors of Grenfell—this outcome reinforces the power of public advocacy and resident union action. It sends a clear signal that resident safety concerns and ethical accountability cannot be overlooked by municipal decision-makers without severe reputational and political costs.
3. Heightened Governance Standards Ahead of CPS Charging Decisions
As the CPS approaches its 2027 deadline for filing criminal charges regarding the Grenfell Tower fire, local authorities nationwide will face escalating pressure to distance themselves from individuals involved in past safety failures. Senior executives in public sector roles who face scrutiny over historical building safety decisions may encounter similar professional resistance, driving stricter governance and accountability frameworks across council housing authorities nationwide.
