Barry Taylor

Barry has been a Trustee at Citizens Advice Gateshead since 2016 and is currently in his third year as Chair. He is also a Director of Society Matters cic , a social enterprise closely linked to the charity with the same vision and values.

Barry joined the charity after a career spanning forty years in the Probation Service. He was drawn to this career path after moving to a large city from rural Lincolnshire and being directly exposed to many of the social and economic inequalities being faced by the different communities that make up our modern society.  After training in Newcastle , he spent 20 years working directly with offenders across the North East before moving into management roles . This culminated in a senior management position in Northumbria Probation Trust, one of the most successful Probation areas in the country, during which time Barry was involved in many strategic projects in partnership with government departments and the private sector before retiring in 2016.

Barry has a long-standing passion for social justice and the role Charities can play in this field. He is a strong advocate of the benefits of collaborative and partnership working. His primary focus at Citizens Advice Gateshead has been influencing change, aimed at securing its long term sustainability which will be a key factor in helping to achieve its vision of a fair society for all, with lives well lived.

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