The new Mayor of Dartford, Councillor Rosanna Currans, was elected at the Annual Council meeting on the 28th April 2021, succeeding Councillor Roger Perfitt, who served an extended two year period of office due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Brent Ward councillor was elected at the Council’s first ever virtual Annual Council meeting on Wednesday, due to ongoing coronavirus restrictions.
Councillor Currans was first elected to Dartford Borough Council in 2014 and previously served as Mayor in 2017/18. She was born in London and has been a Dartford resident since 1983.
Councillor Currans is married to husband Alan, with whom she has three sons aged between 39 and 55 and three grandsons between 17 and 19.
During a long and varied career, Councillor Currans had an assortment of jobs, treading the boards before working as a circus girl, bar maid, and performing secretarial work while raising her children.
The new Mayor’s last job before retiring was Office Manager for Wimpey Construction Management during work on HMP Belmarsh in Woolwich, which opened in 1991.
Councillor Currans’ interest in local affairs was sparked by the four day power cut in Dartford in 2009.
She felt affronted by the meagre offer of compensation from EDF and decided to mount a campaign to secure proper recompense for the inconvenience caused to residents.
EDF eventually agreed to pay £700,000 in compensation to residents, while also setting up a £750,000 community fund.
As a result of the campaign, Councillor Currans began taking more of an interest in local affairs and this led to her election as a councillor for Brent Ward at a by-election in November 2014.
Since then Councillor Currans has served on many committees and has been the Lead Member for matters relating to the Town Centre.
Councillor Currans helps to run the quiz night at the Dartford Conservative Club, is a member of the Dartford LIONS and the Dartford East Health Centre’s Patient Participation Group, and regularly attends meetings of the Friends of Hesketh Park in addition to her other duties as a councillor.
Outside of the Council, Councillor Currans’ main interests are her family, reading, lunching, meeting people, helping constituents with their problems, and watching Australian soap operas.
Councillor Currans will be supported throughout her Mayoral Year by Mrs Corinna Bailey, who will accompany her on official engagements as her Escort.
The new Deputy Mayor for 2021-22 is Councillor Paul Cutler and the Deputy Mayoress is his wife, Suzanne.
The couple have lived in Stone for nearly 28 years and have four children who all attended local schools. Councillor Cutler has spent most of his career working in corporate sales, working for Xerox UK. Councillor Cutler’s hobbies are gardening, cooking, eating and entertaining with friends and family.
The Mayor’s Charity Appeal for 2021-22 will support three charities; Arrow Riding Centre, Healthy Living Centre Dartford, and Home-Start.
Details of these charities can be found below: