Laura Johnson leaves Barnet Homes weeks after Grenfell families condemned her hiring

Laura Johnson, who was head of housing at Kensington and Chelsea council when fire swept through Grenfell Tower, has left her post at Barnet Homes. She was named one of the organisation’s group directors only last month.

In a short statement, Barnet Homes said Ms Johnson “is no longer employed by The Barnet Group”. A spokesperson added that every employer owes confidentiality to its staff and to job candidates, so it would not be right to comment further.

Grenfell families had condemned the Barnet appointment

Seventy-two people died in the fire in June 2017. Ms Johnson appeared as a witness at the public inquiry that followed. Survivors and the families of those who died spoke out against her new role. They argued that, more than nine years after the disaster, it called accountability into question.

Barnet Council stood by the hire at the time. It said she was eligible in law for the job and had come out ahead of the other applicants as the strongest candidate. Ms Johnson had worked at Barnet Homes since 2024 and took a permanent senior post there earlier this year. Barnet Homes is an arm’s-length body that runs over 14,000 homes owned by the council in the north London borough.

Reacting to news of her exit, Grenfell United repeated its view that the appointment had been “a scandal”. The group said other people criticised by the inquiry still hold senior jobs that put them in charge of health and safety, and are carrying on with their careers regardless. “This does not end with Johnson,” a spokesperson said.

Grenfell criminal investigation and CPS charging decisions

Her departure follows a step in the police inquiry into the fire. A few weeks earlier, the Metropolitan Police passed its findings on 54 individuals to prosecutors, along with files on 20 firms and other bodies. None of the names have been made public. Kensington and Chelsea Council has confirmed that it is one of the organisations referred. The possible offences in its case include corporate manslaughter and breaches of fire safety and health and safety law.

The Crown Prosecution Service will now go through the evidence. It aims to decide on any charges before the tenth anniversary of the fire next year.