Richard Firth has been appointed editor of the Dewsbury Reporter Series.

Previously deputy editor of the Wakefield Express, he succeeds John Wilson, who is now group editorial trainer for parent company Johnston Press.

In his new role Richard, (32), will be responsible for the paid-for Batley News, Birstall News, Spenborough Guardian and Heckmondwike Herald as well as the Dewsbury Reporter and Mirfield Reporter.

He told HoldtheFrontPage: “It’s exciting to be in charge.

“It is a great opportunity, especially as lots of exciting things are happening in the industry with different ways to present news.

“I was involved in lots of innovations at Wakefield such as blogs, and I’m looking forward to exploring that here.”

The post is Richard’s first as editor, but he is not entirely new to taking charge at Dewsbury, having stood in for John at the Reporter last summer.

During his three weeks there one of the town’s biggest-ever stories broke, when a five-year-old boy was found hanging from a tree.

Richard said: “News-wise it was a fantastic time to be here and we were praised for the way we handled it.

“There is a very good team here and it’s nice not to come in completely cold.”

Prior to joining the Wakefield Express in 2004 Richard had worked for The Sentinel in Stoke-on-Trent, starting as a trainee and working his way up to news editor.

He was part of a small team that launched The Sentinel Sunday in 2000, and switched to production in 2002, rising to chief sub-editor the following year.