Kevin Williamson on the new housing advice unit

The unit has been set up in response to a recommendation in economist Kate Barker’s review of housing supply, which said that there was a need for more guidance on housing market affordability at a regional level. NHPAU’s launch comes as PPS3 takes effect, requiring affordability to be taken into account in planning decision-making. Williamson himself is a civil servant and previously worked on the extension of the licensing laws.

• What resources does the NHPAU have?

It has a six-strong expert board and 12 operational staff. The board is chaired by Professor Stephen Nickell, former member of the Bank of England monetary policy committee. The other members are: Glen Bramley, professor at Heriot-Watt University, Paul Cheshire, professor at the London School of Economics, Max Steinberg chief executive of Elevate East Lancashire, Bob Lane chief executive of North Northants Development Company, and Dr Peter Williams, former deputy director general of the Council of Mortgage Lenders. Our operational staff are a mix of planners, economists, and statisticians from the Treasury, Office of National Statistics and academia.

• What are your first priorities?

Initially we will be engaging with the regional spatial strategy process. Each region is at a different stage. There are areas like the East Midlands where we have missed the examination in public but will still make public our findings on affordability. In areas like the West Midlands we’ll have a run at a full regional strategy process. Then there are others where mini-reviews are taking place and we can feed in a view on affordability. We’ll be proactive in going into regions, focusing on the regional and sub-regional level.

What can you add to the debate about affordability?

One of the benefits we have is that we can look forward at the impact of policy on affordability. We'll be very interested in establishing a research programme, looking at the many facets of affordability, both policy and practical.

What happens on 7 June for the launch?

It is a two-stage event with a regional affordability summit looking at the key issues in affordability, the requirements of planning and how the NHPAU can help. That will be followed by a conference that will include workshops to help us think about the key issues. We will probably end that process with a list of 50 potential research issues, and it will be for the board to prioritise them.