---
title: "Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority b- Interim Head of News"
ocid: "ocds-h6vhtk-06ef33"
canonical_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06ef33"
markdown_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06ef33.md"
json_url: "https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06ef33.json"
source: "Find A Tender Service"
current_stage: "Award"
buyer: "Cheshire West and Chester Council"
published: "2026-09-01"
---

# Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority b- Interim Head of News

Buyer: Cheshire West and Chester Council  
Current stage: Award  
OCID: ocds-h6vhtk-06ef33

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[Download OCDS JSON](https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06ef33.json)

## Summary

Cheshire West and Chester Council bought recruitment services for an Interim Head of News. The requirement covered finding and appointing an interim senior communications and news leader, rather than delivering general human resources support. It was classified as human resources management consultancy services. The procurement was associated with Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority, but the named buying organisation is Cheshire West and Chester Council, based at The Portal, Wellington Road, Ellesmere Port. The successful supplier, Castlefield Recruitment, is based in Leeds and is identified as a small or medium-sized enterprise. The work relates to public-sector recruitment and senior communications appointments for the council and its wider Cheshire and Warrington context.

This procurement has been awarded. It used a limited procedure without a prior call for competition, through the PSF Y25007 Framework direct-award call-off route. The stated justification was that the services could be provided by a particular economic operator for technical reasons, with the appointment made under that framework. Price was the award criterion. One bid was recorded. Castlefield Recruitment received the active award linked to the requirement. The associated lot is recorded as cancelled, while the award remains active. The contract value is £78,000 excluding any unspecified tax treatment, in GBP. The contract was signed on 11 August 2026. No contract duration is stated in the procurement data.

This award demonstrates demand from Cheshire West and Chester Council for specialist recruitment support to secure an interim Head of News. A credible competitor for a future requirement would need experience recruiting senior communications, media or public-affairs professionals, particularly for interim appointments in local government or comparable public bodies. Capability to identify, assess and place suitable senior candidates would be central, alongside an understanding of news leadership, public-sector communications and the need for a rapid, targeted search. The route used here also matters: suppliers would need access to, or an equivalent position within, the relevant public-sector framework arrangements and the ability to compete for direct-award or related call-off work. Castlefield Recruitment shows that an SME can deliver this type of requirement.

## Notice

Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority - Recruitment services for the position of Interim Head of News

### Lot Information

Lot 1

Cheshire and Warrington Combined Authority - Recruitment services for the position of Interim Head of News

### Procurement Information

This appointment was made using PSF Y25007 Framework - Direct award Call Off

## Key Details

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication source | Find A Tender Service |
| Latest notice | https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/082466-2026 |
| Notice type | Award Notice |
| Procurement type | Standard |
| Procurement category | Services |
| Procurement method | Limited |
| Procurement method details | Award procedure without prior publication of a call for competition |
| Tender suitability | Not specified |
| Awardee scale | SME |
| All stages | Award |

## Dates

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Publication date | 1 Sep 2026 |
| Submission deadline | Not specified |
| Future notice date | Not specified |
| Award date | Not specified |
| Contract period | Not specified |
| Recurrence | Not specified |

## Values

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender value | Not specified |
| Lots value | Not specified |
| Awards value | Not specified |
| Contracts value | £78,000 |

## Status

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Tender status | Complete |
| Lots status | Cancelled |
| Awards status | Active |
| Contracts status | Active |

## Buyer

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Main buyer | Cheshire West and Chester Council |
| Locality | ELLESMERE PORT |
| Postcode area | Chester |
| Postcode | CH65 0BA |
| Country | England |
| ITL 1 | TLD North West (England) |
| ITL 2 | TLD6 Cheshire |
| ITL 3 | TLD63 Cheshire West and Chester |
| Local authority | Cheshire West and Chester |
| Electoral ward | Central & Grange |
| Westminster constituency | Ellesmere Port and Bromborough |
| Delivery location | TLD North West (England) |

## Supplier

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Number of suppliers | 1 |
| Supplier names | Castlefield Recruitment Limited |

## CPV Codes

### Divisions

- 79 - Business services: law, marketing, consulting, recruitment, printing and security

### Codes

- 79414000 - Human resources management consultancy services

## Release History

- 1 Sep 2026 at 09:50 - Award - Award Notice - https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/082466-2026

## Notice URLs

- http://www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk

## Provenance

This Markdown file is an alternate public rendering of the D3 Tenders contract record. The canonical page is https://d3tenders.com/contract/?ocid=ocds-h6vhtk-06ef33. The underlying structured data is available as OCDS JSON at https://d3tenders.com/contract/ocds-h6vhtk-06ef33.json.