Newsquest’s stable of free titles in London dominate the league table of weekly free titles with one having increased its circulation by 172pc last year.
The latest ABCs, covering the period from January to December 2023, show the Hackney Gazette as the top-performing free title with an average weekly distribution of 3,668.
It is followed by the Ham & High, Ilford Recorder and Newham Recorder which all posted increased of more than 25pc.
All four are former Archant titles which were bought by Newsquest as part of its purchase of the Norwich-based publisher two years ago.
The biggest-circulating title on the list is a council newspaper, the Waltham Forest News, which is distributed to more than 112,000 homes in the London Borough of Waltham Forest four times a year.
The commercial title with the largest free weekly circulation is the Black Country weekly series Chronicle Week, until recently part of the Midland News Association and now owned by National World.
Chronicle Week, which circulates in Cannock, Wolverhampton, Dudley & Stourbridge, Sandwell & Halesowen and Walsall, had an average distribution of 70,107 copies last year.
The full list, in order of percentage circulation change, is below.
| Title | Jan-Dec 2023 | % change |
| Hackney Gazette | 3,668 | 172% |
| Ham and High Express | 5,909 | 51% |
| Ilford Recorder | 5,749 | 34% |
| Newham Recorder | 7,729 | 28% |
| Docklands & East London Advertiser | 4,963 | 18% |
| Islington Gazette | 4,887 | 11% |
| Forest Review | 15,125 | 1% |
| Waltham Forest News | 112,290 | 0% |
| Wimbledon & Wandsworth Times | 13,177 | 0% |
| Uxbridge Gazette | 9,025 | 0% |
| Chronicle and Informer | 6,537 | 0% |
| Ealing Gazette | 7,267 | 0% |
| Shrewsbury Chronicle | 25,114 | −2% |
| Bromley News Shopper | 19,888 | −2% |
| Milton Keynes Citizen | 31,015 | −3% |
| Brent and Kilburn Times | 9,832 | −3% |
| Barking & Dagenham Post | 824 | −4% |
| Harrow Times | 15,188 | −5% |
| Enfield Independent | 15,094 | −5% |
| Bedford Citizen | 21,929 | −6% |
| Richmond & Twickenham Times | 11,141 | −6% |
| Worcester Observer | 3,370 | −6% |
| Stratford & Evesham Observer | 2,947 | −6% |
| Barnet Borough Times | 15,026 | −7% |
| Bromsgrove & Droitwich Standard | 6,290 | −8% |
| Bexley News Shopper | 19,004 | −9% |
| Berrows Worcester Journal | 6,186 | −9% |
| Ely Standard | 4,128 | −9% |
| North Wales Pioneer | 2,442 | −10% |
| Surrey & Epsom Comet | 15,502 | −11% |
| Romford Recorder | 8,969 | −11% |
| Telford Journal | 20,509 | −12% |
| The Herts Advertiser | 15,457 | −12% |
| The Standard, Chester & Ellesmere Port | 8,079 | −12% |
| Solihull Observer | 8,208 | −13% |
| Redditch & Alcester Standard | 7,197 | −13% |
| Bromsgrove/Droitwich Spa Advertiser | 7,637 | −14% |
| Stourbridge News | 9,386 | −16% |
| Slough & Windsor Express | 5,070 | −16% |
| Sutton & Croydon Guardian | 18,028 | −18% |
| Thurrock Gazette | 15,130 | −18% |
| The Evesham and Cotswold Journal | 6,551 | −18% |
| Wirral Globe | 21,134 | −19% |
| Rhyl Journal | 3,862 | −19% |
| St. Helens Star | 11,623 | −20% |
| Dumfries Courier | 10,775 | −20% |
| The Shuttle | 8,076 | −20% |
| Dunmow Broadcast | 7,764 | −20% |
| Leamington Observer | 3,854 | −20% |
| Leigh Journal | 5,925 | −24% |
| Rugby & Lutterworth Observer | 2,184 | −24% |
| Chronicle Week | 70,107 | −25% |
| Swanage Advertiser | 3,877 | −25% |
| Royston Crow | 7,034 | −27% |
| Redditch & Alcester Advertiser | 6,384 | −28% |
| Coventry Observer | 4,711 | −28% |
| Exmouth Journal | 6,945 | −29% |
| Saffron Walden Reporter | 6,689 | −31% |
| North Somerset Times | 16,398 | −33% |
| Midweek Herald | 10,057 | −37% |
| The Messenger | 10,509 | −38% |
| Halesowen & Dudley News | 6,799 | −38% |
| Stevenage Comet | 21,877 | −41% |
| Hunts Post | 10,754 | −51% |
Sign up for our free daily email bulletin
Follow HTFP on Twitter
Got a story? Email the Editor at