Lauren is our Research Manager where she primarily works on Urban Economics.

Lauren graduated from the University of Oxford with a Distinction in Social Data Science, having previously studied in France as a Fulbright Scholar and worked for the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in their Research Department.

In addition to her role at PricedOut, Lauren works in data science. She tweets at @lcthomas1212

Siobhain is the Labour MP for Mitcham and Morden – being elected in the 1997 General Election. She has served as an Assistant Government Whip. She also served as a councillor in Merton, chairing the Housing Committee between 1990 and 1995. She plain an instrumental role in the rebuilding of Phipps Bridge Estate.

Anya Martin was Director of PricedOut from 2021-23. She now works as a researcher and analyst in consumer finance. Formerly she worked in research in the social housing and charity sectors. She also writes on planning issues around the world and how cities can reform their planning policy to achieve housing affordability. She tweets at @anyam8_

Robert Colvile is Director of the Centre for Policy Studies and Editor-in-Chief of CapX, and was one of the co-authors of the 2019 Conservative Party manifesto. He currently writes a weekly column for The Sunday Times and was previously head of comment at the Daily and Sunday Telegraph and news director at BuzzFeed UK, as well as an editor, columnist and leader writer with the Telegraph. He tweets at @rcolvile

Cllr Promise Knight is Cabinet Lead Member for Housing, Homelessness and Renters Security at Brent Council where she has strategic oversight over a range of housing services, including Brent’s private housing strategy, Council new builds, and renters’ support. Promise has worked for a number of Parliamentarians in both Houses of Parliament, and at Citizens UK as a Community Organiser responsible for civic engagement. She tweets at @promise_knight

Paul Smith is a chartered town planner and surveyor with more than 20 years of experience within the planning and housebuilding industries, having held senior roles at a PLC housebuilder and a national planning consultancy. He is currently the MD of The Strategic Land Group, one of the UK’s most successful land promoters. He is also a Director of the Land, Planning and Development Federation, writes a monthly column for industry publication Housing Today, and has advised the government on reforming the planning system. He tweets at @Paul_SLG

Russell Curtis is a founding director of RCKa, a London-based architectural practice specialising in residential, community and public buildings. RCKa has won four Housing Design Awards, the RIBA Journal’s MacEwen Award, and has been twice named Social Value Architect of the Year. He is also a member of the LLDC Quality Review Panel and Newham’s Design Review Panel, and chair of Barnet’s Quality Review Panel. His research into urban golf courses and development around rural stations have received national media attention, with several appearances on BBC TV and radio talking about his work. He tweets at @russellcurtis

Cllr Cheney Payne is the Liberal Democrat Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Cambridge, and the Deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats on Cambridge City Council where she serves on the Environment and Communities Portfolio. Professionally, Cheney has been a teacher for the last 13 years, and is currently an Assistant Principal at a school in Cambridgeshire. She tweets at @CllrPayne

Maxwell Marlow is the Director of Research at the Adam Smith Institute. Before working at the Adam Smith Institute, he worked as a Public Affairs and Communications Executive at strategic consultancy Hanbury Strategy. Clients he worked with included leading financial institutes, crypto firms, fundraising platforms, and transport providers. He was previously Development and Research Officer for the ASI. He is also a Non-Executive Director at the Masonic Charitable Foundation, one of the UK’s largest charities, where he advises on policy horizons and strategic vision. He tweets at @maxwell_marlow

Aria Babu is the Programming Manager at Dialog. Before this, she has done policy work for The Entrepreneurs Network, Policy Exchange and Public First, with a focus on technology and economic growth. She tweets at @Aria_Babu and writes at https://www.ariababu.co.uk/

James Vitali is Head of Political Economy at Policy Exchange and has written widely on housing policy. His recent papers Homes for Growth and The Property Owning Democracy won wide support from across Westminster and were endorsed by multiple former Housing Ministers. He tweets at @VitaliJames

Zoe Knowles is an experienced communications, policy, and stakeholder relations professional, with community-building expertise from working in government and at the UK think tank Create Streets. Previously, Zoe was the Director of Communications, Issues, and Legislative Affairs to Ontario’s Housing Minister in Canada, where she led the government’s agenda on housing, reshaped the public narrative on the Canadian housing crisis, oversaw the highest level of new housing starts in 30 years, and led the passage of a series of legislative and regulatory reform packages. Zoe’s work focuses on guiding public policy to incentivise new construction and urban intensification, while driving community support for a housing abundance agenda. She tweets at @theZoeKnowles

Samuel Kasumu is a former special advisor to Prime Minister Boris Johnson where he held the Civil Society and Communities brief. Under former Prime Minister Theresa May he was a member of the Race Disparity Audit Advisory Board. He has served as a district councillor for 6 years. He tweets at @samuelkasumu

Tom Spencer was the Head of Research for PricedOut in 2023, during which he authored the PricedOut Manifesto. While studying degrees in Law and Land Economy, Tom was also a Fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. He now works in financial regulation and tweets at @tomjackspencer

Simon is the Conservative MP for Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland – being elected in the 2017 General Election. He has served as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Minister of State for Regional Growth and Local Government and Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.

Tom Wilson was the Head of Engagement for PricedOut in 2023

Tom is a communications specialist who has worked in Parliament, the civil service, and wider public sector following a background in political activism.

Alongside his role at PricedOut, Tom works in public health. He tweets at @feedthedrummer