Chair
The Chair of Norfolk County Council is Cllr Stuart Dark.
The Vice-Chair is Cllr Tom FitzPatrick.
Biography
Stuart lives in Snettisham with his wife Kerry and two children, who attended local state schools. All his immediate family proudly call Norfolk 'home', with his sister, a retired Norfolk primary school Headteacher living in Walsingham and his parents living in Hunstanton.
Stuart grew up in West London and joined the Metropolitan Police from school. He was commended many times during his career and is a recipient of that force's seldom awarded highest operational honour, a 'Commissioner's High Commendation', for his work in SE Asia immediately following the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami. He retired from policing in 2015, after 30 years public service, as a senior officer in the serious and organised crime arena.
He has been active in his local community, both formally and informally for years, having been a primary School Governor and Parish Councillor. He was first elected to the County Council in 2017 and has been both Vice-Chair and Chair of its 'Children's Services' Committee. He has also been an active member of Norfolk's 'Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee' and its 'Police and Crime Panel'.
Stuart has also been a Councillor on King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council since 2018, taking on the new Cabinet role for co-ordinating the response to the Covid pandemic with partners and later leading that large district Council, from May 2021 until May 2023.
He was awarded an MBE in 2020 for services to his community.
Away from politics, Stuart is interested in history, most sports and the Arts.
Stuart's theme for the year will be: supporting and celebrating volunteers and promoting volunteering in Norfolk.
Roles and responsibilities
The main duty of the Chair is to chair meetings of full council. The Chair is the civic ambassador for the authority, and represents the council at events including remembrance, community events and royal visits.
Request attendance of the Chair
The Chair receives invitations from all parts of the community and attends as many as possible throughout the year. The Chair is non-political and cannot be involved with political or contentious events.
To request the attendance of the Chair to an event, please complete and submit the request attendance of the Chair online form. Please complete all the questions if possible.
Contact the Chair
Chair's Office
Democratic Services
Ground Floor South Wing
County Hall
Martineau Lane
Norwich
NR1 2DH
Email: chairofthecouncil@norfolk.gov.uk
Chair's engagements
May 2024
Wednesday 29 May - British Empire Medal Presentation, Norfolk Club
Monday 27 May - Le Paradis Memorial Service, Norwich Cathedral
Wednesday 22 May - RAF Marham Annual Formal Reception, RAF Marham
Monday 20 May - 20 years of Crucial Crew, Norwich
Friday 17 May - Fire Service Pass Out Parade, Norwich
Thursday 16 May - Citizenship Ceremony, County Hall
Thursday 16 May - Mayor Making Ceremony, King's Lynn
Tuesday 14 May - Mayor's Reception, Great Yarmouth Town Hall
Monday 13 May - Friends of Norwich Cathedral Annual General Meeting, Norwich Cathedral
Monday 13 May - D-Day 80th Anniversary Lamplight of Peace Ceremony, Great Yarmouth Minster
Friday 10 May - Mayor of GY Civic Ball, Town Hall, Great Yarmouth
Thursday 9 May - South Norfolk 50 Anniversary Celebration, Norwich
Thursday 9 May - 41st Annual Joan Mann Special Sports Day, RAF Mildenhall
Tuesday 7 May - Norfolk County Council AGM, County Hall, Norwich
Sunday 5 May - Re-dedication and 80th Anniversary of 7 Armed Division Leaving High Ash for Normandy 1944, Thetford