Director who oversaw Grenfell cost-cutting given senior council housing role

Grenfell Tower, in west London, and a memorial to the 72 people who died in the fire in June 2017. Photograph: Jordan Pettitt/PA

Grenfell survivors and bereaved relatives have criticised the “outrageous decision” to hire a director who oversaw cost-cutting at Grenfell Tower in a £150,000-a-year senior council housing role.

Laura Johnson, the director of housing at the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) at the time of the 2017 Grenfell fire, has been appointed the permanent director of development and property at the Barnet Group, which manages the borough’s 13,000 council homes.