A local news magazine set up after Johnston Press closed a weekly newspaper’s offices and axed its editor is to be sold to a mystery buyer.

Whitby Mag was launched last summer shortly after JP closed the historic harbourside offices of the Whitby Gazette and made the editor, Jon Stokoe, redundant.

Jon, who has lived in the town since childhood, subsequently joined the new venture as a columnist.

Now the free title is set to be sold to a new buyer after being put up for sale by its owner, former accountant Kathy Finkel.

A statement on its website reads: “Whitby Mag is being sold to someone you all know and love, well some of you may quite like him.

“We’d hoped that the paperwork would have been finalised by now, but it’s not. The mag will be back soon, when the new owner has decided on the format.”

The title was launched with an initial print run of 20,000 and was distributed to homes across Whitby.

Jon joined the title in the autumn having initially been prevented from joining it at launch due to the terms of his “compromise agreement” with JP.

He was made redundant from the Gazette last April, despite the title having posted a 2.1pc sales rise in the February 2013 ABC figures, and his role was combined with that of Scarborough News editor Ed Asquith.

Jon declined to comment on speculation surrounding the identity of the new owner. Kathy has not so far responded to requests for further information.