Dr Kit Colliver
Research Associate

Profile

Biography

Kit joined the University of York's School for Business and Society in 2022. They have an interdisciplinary background and came to social policy research through a particular interest in housing and social inequalities.

Kit is a longstanding member of the University of York's Cost of Living Research Group, primarily publishing on the impact of the UK's cost of living crisis on local authorities. They have recently been involved in the 'Housing Justice' work package for a large ESRC-funded cross-institutional and interdisciplinary project on 'Understanding criminality in the private rented sector', where they focused on local authority enforcement practices.

Prior to joining the University of York, Kit held a Research Fellowship at the University of the West of Scotland investigating the role of Primary Care in preventing drug-related deaths. They have also been involved in delivering an independent review of the Scottish Forensic Mental Health system for the Scottish Government and have supported a number of projects related to poverty and extreme disadvantage at I-SPHERE, Heriot Watt University. 

Professional networks

Housing Policy group, Social Policy Association

LGBTQ+ Housing Research and Practice Network, Housing Studies Association

UK Trans Scholars Network

Qualifications

PhD Social Policy and Urban Studies, Heriot-Watt University

MSc Social Research Methods, University of Edinburgh

BA (Hons) Philosophy and Psychology, University of Oxford

Research

Overview

Research interests

• housing and homelessness
• devolved government and local welfare
• queer and non-normative households
• philosophies of welfare and normative perspectives in social policy

Recent projects

2023-25 Understanding criminality in the private rented sector on work package three, ‘Housing Justice’. Examining how English local authorities take enforcement action against severe housing offences in the private rented sector, and their experiences of taking cases to court and residential property tribunals. Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

2022-24 Locale Authorities and the Cost of Living Emergency (LOCALE): capturing UK local authority responses to the cost of living crisis, in order to understand local variations in support and the longer-term capacity of local authorities to respond to successive crises. Funded by the University of York’s School for Business and Society, Policy Impact Fund.

2023-24 Voter ID: the impact on trans and non-binary people in the UK: multi-method (surveys, qualitative interviews) investigation of trans people’s experiences of the UK’s new photo ID laws for elections. Funded by the University of York’s School for Business and Society, Strategic Research Fund.

Teaching

Undergraduate

2024/25 Seminar Leader, 'Introduction to Law and Society', LLB (Hons) Law, York Law School

2023/24 Seminar Leader, 'The Policy Think Tank', BA Social and Public Policy, School for Business and Society

Postgraduate

2022/23 Seminar Leader, ‘Policy Analysis in a Complex World, MPA Social and Public Policy, School for Business and Society

Other teaching

Kit is an Associate Fellow of Advance HE.

2025/26 Teaching TBC.

Publications

Full publications list

View in PURE