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Trinity Mirror confirms proposed closure of Midlands weeklies

Posted: 01/07/09 By: Laura Oliver

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Trinity Mirror is proposing to close seven of its weekly titles in the Midlands region, according to a memo to staff seen by Journalism.co.uk.

The Loughborough Trader Extra, Lichfield Post, Tamworth Times, Burton Trader, Ashby Trader & Echo, Coalville Echo and Walsall Observer will cease publication under the plans, resulting in the closure of the group's Burton and Walsall offices, the memo from John Griffith, managing director of BPM Media (Midlands) confirmed.

A Trinity Mirror spokesman confirmed the changes to Journalism.co.uk. The plans also include the proposed closure of the Bedworth Echo, the Rugby Times and two niche publications, the Earlsdon Blog and Farm Ad.

In Birmingham the group is expecting to merge the Solihull News and Solihull Times, resulting in a single editor for the Solihull titles, the publisher confirmed.

The changes are expected to result in 94 redundancies from a number of departments across the publisher's Midlands operation.

The proposed cuts follow more than 70 editorial redundancies made by Trinity Mirror Midlands last year.

Twenty pre-press redundancies are expected at the Fort Dunlop site and three marketing redundancies at Fort Dunlop are anticipated. Editorial redundancies are also expected amongst weeklies staff based in the Birmingham office.

Weeklies editorial director Tony Lennox will take early retirement as part of the changes and leave the group at the end of this month, the memo confirmed.

"Unfortunately the trading environment has continued to deteriorate for both ourselves and very many of our customers. Advertising revenues have fallen by over 40 per cent year-on-year across the Midlands region, and that significant fall in our biggest income stream means that some of our titles have become loss making, as indeed has our business," said Griffith.

"We constantly review our portfolio of titles and products we offer in the light of market conditions, and today we are announcing a series of changes across the region including closures of some titles and offices. These closures will obviously have an impact on staff working directly on them, and also some support functions."

According to the memo, the deployment of traditional, single-skilled photographers can no longer be commercially justified for the Solihull titles.

A period of consultation with staff has been entered into and applications for voluntary redundancy are being sought.

"These actions announced today are designed to protect our Midlands businesses and the majority of their employees. We are seeking volunteers from within affected groups in order to minimise any necessity for compulsory redundancies," said Georgina Harvey, managing director of Trinity Mirror Regionals, in a statement from the group.

"In addition we are offering the opportunity for staff in other parts of our Midlands businesses not affected by these proposals to volunteer for redundancy."

NUJ response
The plans announced today confirm reports made by the National Union of Journalists in the last week. The union today suggested that 17 journalists' jobs would be lost as a result of the changes.

"Despite all the mud that has been slung by the managers over the last week, it is clear that nothing has happened to derail them from their course of action. The company has decided to cut loose communities and slash away at journalism on profit-making local titles," said Chris Morley, NUJ Northern Organiser, in a statement from the union.

According to the union, members of three NUJ chapels based at the group's Midlands' operations had already agreed to ballot for industrial action over the plans, before they had been officially confirmed.

NUJ members at the titles handed management a 'blueprint to boost the sales and profile of their papers' last week.

The union has also called on the publisher to release any plans for changes at the Birmingham Post and Birmingham Mail titles to its staff.

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