Publisher to axe regional newspaper offices

A regional publisher has confirmed it will shut all except 15 of its offices in the UK, a step which will leave most of its regional titles without bases in the areas they serve.

Reach plc has informed most of its journalists they will be permanently working from home in future, which will result in office closures across the country – including the base of the Huddersfield Daily Examiner.

Reach says it will maintain 15 hub offices with meeting rooms, including a hub in Leeds.

The company, which has a 110-strong portfolio of titles, says it has decided to shut the offices after the past year saw most of its employees work from home due to the pandemic.

Commenting on the HoldtheFrontPage website, A Reach spokeswoman said: “We carried out a survey of all colleagues that showed a majority found home working suited their needs.

“Moving forward colleagues will either be home-based or working mainly from home with regular office attendance, and around a quarter permanently office-based, working from one of 15 hubs around the country.

“We’re pleased to be investing in all our hubs to provide more modern, flexible working environments.

“This solution provides increased flexibility with the ability to have access to meeting space to recapture face-to-face collaboration and a social element – when lockdown rules allow.”

Close