Newsquest cuts 25 jobs in Newport and north Wales

Newsquest had put a number of staff on leave under the UK government's coronavirus job retention scheme

Newspaper group Newsquest has announced a large round of job cuts, with 25 posts to be lost in Wales.

Its titles include the Western Telegraph, South Wales Argus, South Wales Guardian, The Leader, Tivyside Advertiser and Pembrokeshire Farmer.

The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) said the company was cutting 23 out of its 164 positions in Newport, but it is not known which roles will be affected.

In north Wales it is cutting two of its five reporters.

Last month, editors warned local newspapers were facing a "fight for survival" during the coronavirus pandemic with many older readers unable to leave the house to buy their daily papers leading to declining sales.

Newsquest is the second largest publisher of regional and local newspapers in the UK.

'Bad for democracy'

The NUJ said it was "dismayed by the large round of job cuts and redundancies".

Plaid Cymru's Member of the Senedd for South Wales East, Delyth Jewell, called on Newsquest to urgently reconsider its "terrible" proposal to cut jobs.

She said journalists provide "an essential public service for the people of Gwent" and any move making it more difficult for them to relay local information and hold politicians to account "is bad for the local community and bad for democracy".

"Many of these journalists will have dedicated years of service to their work and to see them treated in this manner now is dismaying, especially after so many have gone out of their way to help their employer during lockdown by agreeing to changes to their working conditions," she added.