Journalists, trade unionists and politicians from all parties were today take part in a wake to mourn the departure of The Citizen from Gloucester.

Staff working on it are being moved out of St John’s Lane and into Cheltenham, to sister paper the Gloucestershire Echo's offices.

The move has been condemned by the city's MP, city councillors and former staff, who, dressed in black and led by the Grim Reaper, are set to carry a coffin from the city council offices in North Warehouse at noon to The Cross, where a short memorial service will be held before a wreath will be laid outside the empty Citizen offices.

A new district office to provide an editorial and commercial presence has been created in the city.

Former National Union of Journalists' president Tim Lezard, who worked as a reporter at The Citizen in 2000 and 2001, said: “When I worked in St John's Lane, I was proud of the paper's community links and closeness to its readers.

"That unique link has now been severed.

"Put simply: who will ask the questions when we're gone?”

The wake was due to be attended by Gloucester MP Parmjit Dhanda MP, who said: "The Citizen has, for many years, served the people of Gloucester well, but I am concerned for the future if its journalists no longer work here.

"As a politician, you might expect me to welcome the fact there will be no journalists around to ask awkward questions, but scrutiny is vital for democracy, and journalists play a key role in that."

City councillor Pam Tracey, a former Mayor of Gloucester, said: "I can't believe anyone could even think about moving The Citizen out of Gloucester.

"I feel sorry for the staff too, because all the reporters and photographers I've worked with have been so good.”

Hugh Worsnip, who worked at The Citizen for 42 years as a reporter and columnist, said: "It's a huge loss to the prestige of the city – yet another hammer blow to a community which, more than anything else, needs to build civic pride and regenerate its city centre.

"How can a city the size of Gloucester be adequately covered by a lesser number of journalists based in Cheltenham?

"My fear is that the great differences between Gloucester and Cheltenham will cease to be reflected in their evening newspapers and we will inevitably see the creation of one amorphous, anodyne, amalgamated county evening newspaper."

The Citizen and the Gloucestershire Echo are both owned by Northcliffe Newspapers.