Laura Johnson, the former housing chief at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) at the time of the Grenfell Tower fire, has left her new £157,000-a-year council role just two months after taking it up, amid fierce backlash.
Johnson was the director of housing at RBKC when the fire killed 72 people in 2017. The inquiry into the blaze criticised her for cost-cutting decisions, including changing contractors for renovation works.
In August, she took up the role of permanent director of development and property at the Barnet Group, which manages the borough's 13,000 council homes. It has now been revealed that Johnson is no longer in the role.
Backlash from Grenfell families
The appointment was slammed by some of the bereaved families of Grenfell victims. Grenfell United, the group of families and survivors from the fire, called the move by Barnet Council a "slap in the face".
At the time, the group wrote: "This appointment shows a complete disregard for the findings of the Grenfell Inquiry. Yet another slap in the face for bereaved and survivors whilst we continue to wait for justice."
The Barnet Group, in a letter to Joe Powell, the Labour MP for Kensington and Bayswater where Grenfell was situated, confirmed Johnson was "no longer employed" by the company, according to The Guardian.
Inquiry findings
The Grenfell inquiry found Johnson used "decisive influence" to replace the original contractor due to carry out renovations on the tower. The inquiry heard evidence that Johnson lost patience with contractors Leadbitter after they said the plans would cost £1.2m more than the budget.
At the time, the Tory-run council had delegated the responsibility for this decision to Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (TMO), but Johnson "overruled" their decision. The TMO later appointed Rydon to carry out the works at a cheaper price - it swapped metal cladding for combustible plastic-filled panels which led to the spread of the fire in June 2017.
The inquiry also heard that Johnson changed the main priority of the Grenfell project from keeping to the works schedule to "value for money".
Response from Barnet Group
The chair of the Barnet Group board, Eamon McGoldrick, wrote: "We fully recognise the depth of feeling surrounding the Grenfell Tower tragedy and its continuing impact on bereaved families, survivors, residents and the wider community. We also fully acknowledge legitimate public interest concerning governance of senior appointments."
It is not clear why Johnson is no longer in the role. It is reportedly thought that housing secretary Angela Rayner wrote to the Barnet Group last month following news of Johnson's job, according to The Guardian.
A spokesperson for The Barnet Group told the Mirror last month that it was "aware of the Grenfell Inquiry findings and considered them carefully during the recruitment process". The group said: "Following a robust and publicly advertised recruitment process, we concluded that she was the strongest candidate and legally eligible to hold the position."
A spokesperson for Grenfell United said the group welcomes the news and said: "The inquiry's findings are there for everyone to read, yet those criticised continue their careers as though nothing has happened. It is an outrage that such damning findings have done nothing to stop them being entrusted with public safety."
The Mirror has reached out to the Barnet Group and Barnet Council for comment.
