Newsquest has insisted it will give Archant’s news brands a “much more secure future” as staff expressed concerns of more “internal upheaval” to come.

Newsquest, which remains the second biggest regional publisher in the UK after last week’s buyout of Archant which was the fourth-largest, also said it had “no plans” to merge titles – although its chief executive said some redundancies are “likely”.

The publisher also said the deal means it will be able “to invest in the great local journalism that both companies do”.