The assistant editor at a regional daily has revealed he is leaving the title after more than 22 years, weeks after the editor announced his departure.

Andrew Vine, left, who currently holds the number two role at the Yorkshire Post, is taking voluntary redundancy from the Johnston Press-owned title in July, shortly after editor Peter Charlton steps down.

Assistant editor at the Post for the past four years, Andrew previously held the roles of head of content and chief reporter and is one of the longest-serving staff members at the paper.

Peter announced last month that he was bowing out as editorial director of the Yorkshire Post and Yorkshire Evening Post after 40 years in newspapers and will leave the role on 23 May.

Johnston Press is currently carrying out a recruitment process for Peter’s replacement.  It is understood that Andrew decided not to put himself forward for the role.

He said: “I’ve enjoyed my years on the Yorkshire Post immensely, but there comes a time to move on and do new things.

“I’ve worked very closely with Peter Charlton, and when he decided to stand down, it set me thinking that the point had come to try something new.

“We have a superb bunch of journalists on the YP, and it will be a wrench to leave. I wish them well for the future.”

HoldtheFrontPage understands that the recruitment process for Peter’s successor has so far seen a number of internal candidates interviewed, including the editor of another JP daily and two current weekly editors.

External candidates who have been interviewed for the role include a former JP weekly editor who left the company in 2011.

During his time at the Post, Andrew served as chief reporter for almost 10 years, which included reporting from New York in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks of 2001, and has won awards for his work.

He will continue to contribute to the paper’s Saturday magazine in its opinion and analysis pages and also intends to take up other freelance work.

Andrew has already written two books, which have been published by Aurum Press, and he plans to write more after leaving the Post.

His first book Last of the Summer Wine told the story of the world’s longest-running comedy series and was published in 2010, while his second book A Very Strange Way to Go to War, about the cruise liner Canberra’s role in the Falklands War, came out last year.