Johnston Press is proposing to make the editor of the Whitby Gazette - Jon Stokoe - redundant. We urge the company to retain the services of Mr Stokoe because, as the editor of one out of only 13 UK local weekly newspapers to increase sales in the second half of last year, he is clearly doing an outstandingly good job. Looking at fully paid-for weekly newspapers, the Whitby Gazette was the fifth best performing title out of 373 in the UK last year. It sends out a terrible signal not just to the people of Whitby, but across the regional press, if young editors who are doing an outstanding job are dispensed with.

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