Grenfell United, the group representing the bereaved and survivors, has called on Barnet Group to reverse its appointment of the former housing director of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) at the time of the Grenfell fire.
Barnet Group is the council’s wholly owned housing company and the appointment has deeply angered survivors and campaigners.
Tenants of Barnet Homes who were not consulted on staffing have every reason to be concerned about this appointment and what it says about the organisation.
Toxic Relations
Laura Johnson was Kensington & Chelsea council’s Housing Director from 2009 until shortly after the fire and oversaw the running of the Grenfell landlord’s tenant management organisation (TMO). The Grenfell inquiry was highly critical of its operation saying that it was responsible for “chronic and systemic failings” in fire safety management, as well as a “toxic” relationship with the tower’s residents.
Laura Johnson confirmed to the inquiry that she had failed to verify with the TMO whether it had fixed fire safety issues raised in a deficiency notice served on Grenfell Tower by the London Fire Brigade in November 2016.
There had also been incidents where lobbies of buildings had rapidly filled with smoke, often due to missing self-closeing front doors. The failure to take the incidents seriously was also flagged by the inquiry as a key event in the deaths at Grenfell Tower.
In a scenario that will be familiar to many SHAC members, Laura Johnson requested checks on the tenancy status of one of TMO’s residents after he complained about services deficiencies.
She was also involved very early on in the decision to put cladding on the tower, which she said was to improve its appearance. Then, as part of her cost cutting efforts, she “exercised decisive influence” over the works being retendered away from company originally appointed for the work and awarded at lower cost to Rydon.
Rydon achieved savings by using aluminium composite material cladding panels, which led to the rapid and vertical spread of the fire. This and other factors led the inquiry to conclude that Rydon bore “considerable responsibility” for the fire.
Accountability Rejected
Grenfell United point out criminal accountability for the Grenfell Tower fire remains unresolved. The Metropolitan Police has confirmed that 57 individuals and 20 organisations are suspects in its ongoing investigation and that files are being submitted to the Crown Prosecution Service for charging decisions. The group is critical that Barnet Council has made Laura Johnson’s appointment permanent prior to the conclusion of the criminal justice process. Nonetheless, Barnet Group has rejected the call f rom Grenfell United for her dismissal.
SHAC stands in solidarity with the victims and survivors of the Grenfell fire, alongside the emergency workers who attended the incident, many of whom were deeply traumatised by Britain’s deadliest residential fire since World War II.
24 September 2026
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