The editor of ten local websites axed as part of the current Reach plc cutbacks has been appointed to a new role in charge of its London-wide newsbrand.

Deanne Blaylock, left, will take over MyLondon in January from her current role as senior editor, South East.

In that capacity, Deanne was editor BedfordshireLive, BerkshireLive, BuckinghamshireLive, HampshireLive, HertsLive, NorfolkLive, NorthantsLive, OxfordshireLive, SuffolkLive and SussexLive.

All 10 of those websites closed on 30 November as a result of the cutbacks, with the remainder of the editorial staff made redundant.

Reach announced last month that it was looking to shed 450 jobs – including 320 in editorial – following a downturn in digital revenues.

It is believed that the closure of the 10 South East sites led to more than 15 editorial job losses, although Reach has declined to give an exact figure.

Deanne’s new appointment was announced in a message to staff from London and South audience and content director David Bartlett.

It read: “I’m delighted to announce that Deanne Blaylock has been appointed MyLondon Editor. Dee brings with her a wealth of experience in leading teams and brands and I know she’s really excited about the opportunity. Dee will take up the role after the Christmas and New Year break.”

Previously Deanne had thanked her departing team for the way they rallied round in the final weeks before the sites closed even though they knew their own jobs were going.

In a post on LinkedIn, she wrote: “I’ve been blessed this past year or so to have witnessed true talent, to have experienced pure passion and pride, and to have been left truly humbled by those around me.

“As a team we’ve ridden huge waves of change, embraced new ways of working and always emerged stronger, better and more united than ever.

“The last few weeks have been the toughest we have worked through. But faced with adversity and the knowledge our time together would soon be up, what did they do? They showed up and they stepped up, for each other, for the business, for me.

“The way these journalists have navigated this process surrounded by their own fears and uncertainty is nothing short of amazing, and every single one of them will go on to do great things.

“There’s a saying, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade – these guys made champagne. It fills me with hope, not despair, for the future of our industry.

“I’ve said this in a roundabout way a few times but as my team exits stage left, I’ll say it again for anyone who needs to hear it today: ‘Redundancy is not a reflection of your worth, but a result of circumstantial factors.'”

The other three websites which closed as part of the cuts were Wiltshire Live, Dorset Live and Staffordshire Live.

Reach has consistently declined to put a figure on the number of job losses specifically related to the website closures when approached by HTFP.