Cash-strapped Cheshire East Council is spending a whopping £203,000 on a specialist agency to recruit top bosses to vacant posts, writes Belinda Ryan.
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.
It also comes after the council raised council tax by the maximum 4.99% for 2025-26, and is introducing parking charges on Sundays and evenings in a bid to boost its coffers.
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.
SHAMEFUL SHAMBLES CEC. Told me that ‘A fix my Street issue I raised had been completed. Going to resend photographs to Leader CEC and his completion notice, so that he can see it hasn’t been fixed. Total liars in CEC. Let’s see if he replies and maybe it’s an Open Letter to Nantwich News to highlight the issue.
This is the biggest shambles of an organisation I’ve ever seen.
The council needs putting in special measures.
It cannot continue.
Cheshire East guilty of total incompetence they are building masses of housing in Macclesfield, Congleton & Crewe. Numerous building companies have gone bust leave half completed & unfinished projects. Worse of all zero infrastructure schools medical surgeries shops etc. The whole council should resign useless
Yet everyone would be complaining if there wasn’t a decent recruitment process, there is no way anyone can win in this world.
All large organisations use recruitment agencies as it saves money in the long run, scraping the barrel to get some mileage out of this.
Free money, we are paying to administer the council, not for the services they are supposed to provide but don’t
Cheshire east Council is the dumbest Council in the country .
Nsvermind that imagine being taxed 80% on tobacco and 52p on EVREY litre of fuel the taxed 20% on top of that .
Oh I’m sorry we actually are ….
And we just sit here moaning about the councill hello people ..
Ive smoked for 20 years and always bought cheap ones .. so rough calculations over 20 years is about 160k saved in tax .. smell the coffee people stand up ..
Don’t forget in April 2026 in addition to the normal increase in Council Tax there will be additional cost due to installing a Mayor for Cheshire & Warrington. In 2023/24 for Andy Burnham GMC this was extra cost of £110+ for every Band D property. Think about it?
The election of Mayor will cost some £1million as per a CEC Director.
Cheshire East ues rate payers money as though we are cash cows,
All they think about is how to waste people’s money, it’s a disgrace.
In Cheshire East the Council Tax on a Band B property is £1814.25.
Imagine a row of Terraced houses 112 long, and then picture the council tax from these houses being chucked in a fire.
But don’t worry, because i’m sure it will only being up 4.99% next year!