Ex-director who oversaw Grenfell cost-cutting leaves council housing role after backlash

Survivors had criticised ‘outrageous’ appointment of Laura Johnson to £150,000 job with Barnet Group

A housing director who oversaw cost cutting at Grenfell Tower before the fatal fire has left a £150,000-a-year senior council housing role after a backlash from bereaved families and survivors.

Laura Johnson was the director of housing at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) at the time of the 2017 Grenfell fire which killed 72 people, and was criticised in the subsequent inquiry for her role in budget-cutting decisions prior to the blaze.