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Editor-in-chief role for Feeney as editorial changes are announced

South Wales Evening Post editor Spencer Feeney has been appointed editor-in-chief of parent company South West Wales Publications.

His expanded role sees him take overall responsibility for all SWWP editorial affairs, and comes as a proposed editorial restructure and streamlining of its operations is announced.

Under the proposals some staff who currently work in Llanelli or Carmarthen on the group’s weekly paid-for titles, the Carmarthen Journal and the Llanelli Star, will move to Swansea. Redundancies are a possibility.

The company is also considering the appointment of a joint editor for the two titles, although they would remain separate newspapers and would continue to have dedicated news staff in Carmarthen and Llanelli.

In a statement, the company said: “The company proposes to centralise in Swansea some of its editorial operations.

“Some people would have the opportunity to relocate from Llanelli or Carmarthen to Swansea under these proposals.

“Should any staff find their current positions become redundant under these proposals, it is the company’s intention to offer them where possible suitable alternative available positions within SWWP editorial.”

The proposals follow an editorial review by SWWP and consultants for Northcliffe Newspapers’ Aim Higher programme.

The statement said: “A detailed analysis confirmed that SWWP has efficient editorial operations. The Evening Post’s sub-editing team, which merged news and features last year, was seen as a model of how to manage multiple publications from a single production department.

“The proposals, therefore, are based on extending this principle and bringing SWWP editorial staff together under a simple and more streamlined management structure.”