The Herald and Times Group in Glasgow may be forced to turn down requests for voluntary redundancies after the number of requests exceeded the company’s original target.

Last month the company announced that around 250 journalists would have to reapply for 210 jobs on the Evening Times, The Herald and Sunday Herald.

Management appears to have averted the need to make anyone compulsorily redundant, with reports suggesting that around 50 staff have already applied for voluntary terms.

But with the number of requests exceeding the target of 40 job losses by around ten, the company may have to force some applicants to stay on.

Herald and Times Group managing editor Tom Thomson said: “The company has received a number of requests for voluntary redundancy, the vast majority of which are being accepted, and we are reviewing the balance to take account of operational need.

“We have received a large number of applications for posts in the new integrated editorial structure and interviews are well under way.

“We expect to begin announcing appointments internally next week.”

This latest development follows a public meeting last Thursday in the city attended by over 100 people, including politicians and the National Union of Journalists national president James Doherty.