Lord Inglewood is to become the new chairman of regional newspaper publisher CN Group Limited.

He will succeed Joe Harris, (69), who has been chairman for the past 15 years.

Lord Inglewood, who has said that he won't stand for re-election to European Parliament in elections in 2004, has been on the CN board since 1997.

The 50-year-old North West MEP is a barrister and chartered surveyor, and is also a trustee of Whitehaven Community Trust, the Settle-Carlisle Railway, and the Calvert Trust, an outdoor centre for the disabled.

Mr Harris, who has been a CN director since 1978, will step down at the group's annual general meeting on May 10.

In his time as chairman the group has grown substantially, acquiring Furness Newspapers and radio stations.

The Carlisle-based CN Group publishes two evening titles, the Carlisle News & Star and the North West Evening Mail.

It also produces eight weeklies, including The Whitehaven News, West Cumberland Times & Star and The Cumberland News, and several magazines and radio stations.

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