Councillor Peter Whapshott has been appointed as the Mayor of Dartford for the next 12 months.
The ward member for Brent, who has served as deputy mayor for the past year, was elected at the Annual Council meeting on 7 May 2025.
Councillor Whapshott was first elected to the Council in 2023. He also serves as Dartford’s Armed Forces Champion and is a committed advocate for veterans, acting as an ambassador for the charity Care for Veterans, and is President of the Dartford and Crayford Sea Cadets. In addition, he actively supports and helps run local Veterans Breakfast Clubs.
The new Mayor has built a successful career in the technology sector. He began with an apprenticeship at BT, followed by roles at Churchill Insurance and Sitel, where he helped establish call centres across Europe. He later joined IBM, specialising in disaster recovery solutions for financial institutions. Now semi-retired, he devotes much of his time to his passion for military history, operating a small business that offers battlefield tours and research services.
Aged 64, Councillor Whapshott has been a Dartford resident for over four decades, having lived in the borough with his wife, Norma, since they married 42 years ago. Norma will support him during his mayoral year as Mayoress. She has worked at Windmill Nursery for the past 30 years. Together, they have three children and seven grandchildren (and counting!), all born and raised in Dartford.
In their spare time, Peter and Norma enjoy spending time with their family, socialising with friends, going on cruise holidays, and when time permits, Peter enjoys both sea and fly fishing.
Joining Councillor Whapshott in civic leadership will be Councillor Avtar Sandhu MBE, who has been appointed Deputy Mayor. Councillor Sandhu represents Wilmington, Sutton-at-Hone, and Hawley, and has served on Dartford Borough Council since 2011. Councillor Sandhu was previously Mayor of Dartford from 2014 to 2015, and has been a resident of Dartford for 56 years.
He will be supported by his wife, Sukh, as Deputy Mayoress. Sukh balances her time between working as a sales advisor at John Lewis and at Social Enterprise Kent, a charity based in Folkestone. Councillor Sandhu and his wife Sukh have two children and two grandchildren.
Councillor Sandhu is deeply committed to supporting local residents and promoting Dartford’s vibrant business community. He serves as a Trustee of the Kent Equality Cohesion Council and plays an active role on several council committees. He also represents Dartford Borough Council on several external bodies, including the Council for Voluntary Service North West Kent and Darent Valley Hospital.
Eric Hookins has been appointed as the Mayor's Chaplain, and Millie Spalding is the Mayor's cadet.
The Mayor’s Charity Appeal for 2025-26 will support three charities: Sea Cadets, Teenage Cancer Trust, and Royal British Legion Industries.