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Jobs to go as Local World looks for synergies

Around 50 jobs are set to be lost as newspaper publishing group Local World looks to achieve savings in back-office functions.

The new company was formed before Christmas by a merger of regional publishers Northcliffe Media and Iliffe News and Media.

Now bosses are implementing the first stage of a business review designed to achieve synergies between the two predecessor businesses.

It will see job losses in both the finance and pre-press functions, most of them at the former Iliffe centres in Cambridge and Burton.

The finance operation is to be centralised at LW’s headquarters in Leicester, meaning existing finance roles based in Cambridge and Burton will be transferred there.

In addition some pre-press roles based in Cambridge will be outsourced to a facility in India already used by the group and others relocated to Nottingham.

Local World has declined to put a figure on the number of job losses likely to result from the proposals.

However HTFP understands that up to 50 people in the two centres could be affected by the changes.

Local World said in a statement:  “In order to give Local World the best possible structure to achieve its goal of re-invigorating the UK regional media sector the business review identified areas of overlap between the support functions of the two acquired businesses and areas with changed requirements.”

It said that where opportunities exist for affected employees to transfer to new locations these will be made available.

Local World chief executive Steve Auckland added: “This has not been an easy decision. I said when we announced the creation of Local World that we want to create a positive, engaging and pleasant place to work.

“That intention stands and these changes are an inevitable part of bringing together two businesses, not any reflection on strategy or performance.”

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  • February 13, 2013 at 9:41 am
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    Local World – outsourced to India. Got to love the irony (unless you’re yet another casualty of the ongoing ‘headcount reduction’…)

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  • February 13, 2013 at 10:39 am
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    50 redundos already … ‘you ain’t seen nothing yet’, as the vicar said to the actress. Remember, the man Monty’s got a lot of form in this kind of situation.

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