Cheshire East spending £203k on agency to recruit top bosses

By Belinda Ryan - Local Democracy Reporter 2nd May 2025

Cheshire East Council is spending a whopping £203,000 on a specialist agency to recruit top bosses to vacant posts (Google).
Cheshire East Council is spending a whopping £203,000 on a specialist agency to recruit top bosses to vacant posts (Google).

Cash-strapped Cheshire East is spending a whopping £203,000 on a specialist agency to recruit top bosses to vacant posts.

The information was revealed in a freedom of information request from a member of the public.

The resident had asked how much the council has paid to, and committed to pay to, Starfish Search as part of the extensive recruitment that is currently under way.

The council replied: "The spend as at 12 March 2025 is £105,368 with the remaining balance being £98,316.13.

"This makes the overall spend £203,684."

This latest figure comes after the Local Democracy Reporting Service revealed last year that the hard-up council had splashed out £37,736 on a 'rigorous recruitment and selection process' to appoint its new chief executive, Rob Polkinghorne.

Cheshire East has haemorrhaged top bosses over the past couple of years.

In December, the LDRS revealed that the council was looking to fill six top posts.

These were executive director of resources, director of public health, director of planning and environment, director of people, assistant chief executive, and monitoring officer.

Cheshire East has been approached for a comment about the spend on recruitment agencies but has so far not responded.

Wilmslow and Alderley Edge Nub News provides updates to local residents in the town.

Free from clickbait, pop-up ads and unwanted surveys, Wilmslow and Alderley Edge Nub News is a quality online newspaper for our town.

Please consider following Wilmslow and Alderley Edge Nub News on Facebook.

     

CHECK OUT OUR Jobs Section HERE!
wilmslow vacancies updated hourly!
Click here to see more: wilmslow jobs

     

Join the 1% Less than one percent of our regular readers pay to support our work.

We send messages like this because, honestly, we need to.
We believe the kind of journalism we produce is important.
That’s why we rely on readers like you.

Please consider joining that 1% today.
Monthly supporters will enjoy:
Ad-free experience

Share:


Sign-up for our FREE newsletter...

We want to provide wilmslow with more and more clickbait-free news.

     

...or become a Supporter.
Wilmslow and Alderley Edge. Your Town. Your News.

Local news is essential for our community — but it needs your support.
Your donation makes a real difference.
For monthly donators:
Ad-free experience