Dartford council elected a new mayor during its first ever virtual annual meeting on Wednesday (April 28).

Brent Ward councillor Rosanna Currans succeeds councillor Roger Perfitt in the role, who served an extended two-year period of office amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

The new deputy mayor for 2021-22 is councillor Paul Cutler and the deputy mayoress is his wife, Suzanne.

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.

She 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 at a circus, behind a bar, and performing secretarial work while raising her children.

She helped lead a campaign for a better package of compensation for residents from energy firm EDF, following the four-day power cut in Dartford in 2009.

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After a meagre initial offer from EDF, councillor Currans helped lead a campaign which led to a total of £700k being offered to residents, while also setting up a £750k 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.

She 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.

Councillor Currans will be supported throughout her mayoral year by Corinna Bailey, who will accompany her on official engagements as her escort.

The Mayor’s Charity Appeal for 2021-22 will support three charities; Arrow Riding Centre, Healthy Living Centre Dartford, and Home-Start.