The Partnership Board: Years Ahead consists of an open network of people and organisations that have an interest in these issues. It is managed through a Partnership Board made up of representatives of older people’s local forums in the North East, together with representatives of local and regional organisations that have an interest in demographic change and ageing.

The Years Ahead Partnership Board is given strategic direction by the Independent Chair who is currently Alan Patchett, Director, Age UK Sunderland.

There are 12 voting spaces for older people’s local forums from across the North East. Wherever possible each local authority area is represented by one older people’s forum in the region. This covers the following local authority areas:

Darlington	North Tyneside
Durham	Northumberland
Gateshead	Redcar and Cleveland
Hartlepool	South Tyneside
Middlesbrough	Stockton-on-Tees
Newcastle upon Tyne	Sunderland

There are also 12 voting spaces allocated for local and regional older people’s representative organisations and affiliated organisations with an interest in age-related issues and demographic change. At present Years Ahead has Partnership Board representation from the following organisations:

Equal Arts	Northumbria University - My Home Life North East
PRIME	Northern TUC - Pensions Advisory Group
Newcastle University	OPAG/Change Agents
Alzheimer's Society	National Pensioners Convention

The Forum also has a select number of non-voting representatives of co-opted bodies that engage with Years Ahead in Partnership work that have a position within the Board. These bodies are usually statutory, Third or private sector organisations. Currently this includes the following:

Department of Health	Association of Directors of Adult Social Services: North East
DWP Local Service Area Partnership Manager, North East of England and Yorkshire and Humberside	Association of North East Councils
Department for Work and Pensions	BIG Lottery