I note that Ian Read, editor of the Kent and Sussex Courier, is leaving to become a "communications advisor" to Tower Hamlets council in east London.
Read, 31, is joining Tower Hamlets at a very interesting time because it appears that the publishing of its free weekly newspaper in defiance of government wishes is somewhat uncertain.
A press release issued yesterday by the mayor's office reveals that the future of East End Life is in some doubt due to a possible political change of heart.
Mayor Lutfur Rahman, the directly elected mayor, is at odds with his former Labour group colleagues who are now calling for the closure of East End Life having once been among the paper's greatest supporters.
According to the release, the Labour leader, Joshua Peck, has threatened to derail Rahman's budget and his principal target is the paper, which is distributed free to 83,000 people in the borough.
Rahman argues that East End Life is financially self-supporting and "is the cheapest way to fulfil our legal duties in providing residents with information."
He is quoted as saying: "To close East End Life could actually raise costs by £2.1 million, as the council would be obliged to fulfil its legal obligations in different ways."
The mayor says the paper's closure would threaten nine full-time jobs. So, good luck to you, Ian Read, in your new job.
NB: Tower Hamlets has continued to publish East End Life despite rules issued by the government banning the publication of newspapers by councils. However, the local government minister, Eric Pickles, has done nothing to enforce the rules.
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