Weekly newspaper staff have moved to an office 15 miles away from the town they serve amid attempts to find them a new headquarters on patch.

The Harrogate Advertiser has relocated to JPIMedia’s Leeds office, although the regional publisher has stressed its intention to move staff back to their patch once an appropriate new base is found.

JPI revealed last month that it was examining its “space requirements” in Harrogate, as well as in Belfast, Peterborough, Sunderland and London’s Cavendish Square, as part of a review which could see the newsrooms affected merged or relocated.

HTFP understands the company is planning to relocate the Advertiser to a local co-working office in the centre of Harrogate, although no exact location or moving date has yet been named.

Harrogate town centre

The paper was previously based at an office at Cardale Park, in the Yorkshire town, with six staff working there.

A JPI spokesman told HTFP: “We are reviewing the company’s property with the view of optimising our footprint.

“Certain offices will be relocated or consolidated with others. Office locations under review will be moved to alternative offices which better suit their needs, reducing expenditure and helping us to sustain jobs and titles.

“We are working closely to source an appropriate new office nearby for the Harrogate Advertiser along with all of its staff.

“We are communicating with staff throughout this process to keep them fully informed.”

Under the same review JPI confirmed to staff that it intends to keep its offices in Leeds, Edinburgh, Preston and Sheffield, as well as London’s Derry Street, where the i newspaper is based, and Stamford, where the company’s payroll department is based.