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June 21, 2021updated 30 Sep 2022 10:22am

News industry furlough claims in March lowest of 2021 so far with Archant, MNA and JPI on top

By Charlotte Tobitt

News industry use of the Government Covid-19 furlough scheme was at its lowest level of 2021 so far in March as Archant, previously the biggest claimant, scaled back its reliance on the financial support.

England’s lockdown restrictions, which came into effect at the start of January, began to ease in March with schools reopening, the end of the “stay at home” rule and outdoor social meet-ups and sports allowed.

Regional publisher Archant, which has just launched a recruitment and investment drive including a dedicated digital reporting team and editors being reinstated at two of its weekly titles, claimed between £250,001 and £500,000 in February.

[Read more: Media furlough claims in December, January, February]

This was reduced to the £100,001 to £250,000 band in March – the same as JPI Media and the Midland News Association.

Press Gazette understands Archant more than broke even in the first quarter of 2021.

The UK’s second-biggest regional publisher Newsquest reduced its claim in March from the £50,001 to £100,000 band to between £25,001 and £50,000.

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No exact figures are given in the public Government data – only banded ranges.

Other news media companies that reduced their claims in March included Tindle Devon Newspapers and Kent’s KM Media Group, both from the £25,001 to £50,000 band to the £10,001 to £25,000 one.

Time Out England went down from somewhere between £50,001 and £100,000 to between £25,001 to £50,000.

Conde Nast, Tindle Newspapers in Wales and the Borders, and William Reed Business Media all joined the lowest band in March.

The only publisher to increase its claim was London local news provider Southwark News, going from the lowest band in February to between £10,001 and £25,000.

In total the industry claimed between £515,018.27 and £1.515m in March.

This compares to:

  • between £765,018.26 and £1.9m in February
  • between £535,018.25 and £1.525m in January
  • between £390,000 and £1.18m in December.

Before December HMRC was legally unable to name companies who had received furlough payments because of taxpayer confidentiality rules under the Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act 2005.

However, it is now required to name on a monthly basis the employers who have claimed cash, and how much within various banded ranges, due to a Treasury direction made under the Coronavirus Act 2020 in November when the furlough scheme was extended.

The scheme, under which the Government pays 80% of an employee’s wages for hours they do not work while on furlough, is now due to end on 30 September.

See below for a full list of UK media companies that used the job retention scheme in March, ranked by their latest claims and with claim totals given in £.

Regional press

Company Dec-20 Jan-21 Feb-21 Mar-21
ARCHANT COMMUNITY MEDIA LTD 50,001 to 100,000 100,001 to 250,000 250,001 to 500,000 100,001 to 250,000
MIDLAND NEWS ASSOCIATION LTD 50,001 to 100,000 100,001 to 250,000 100,001 to 250,000 100,001 to 250,000
JPIMEDIA PUBLISHING LIMITED 100,001 to 250,000 100,001 to 250,000 100,001 to 250,000 100,001 to 250,000
NEWSQUEST MEDIA GROUP LTD 25,001 to 50,000 25,001 to 50,000 50,001 to 100,000 25,001 to 50,000
TINDLE DEVON  NEWSPAPERS LTD 10,001 to 25,000 25,001 to 50,000 25,001 to 50,000 10,001 to 25,000
KM MEDIA GROUP LIMITED 10,001 to 25,000 10,001 to 25,000 25,001 to 50,000 10,001 to 25,000
CITY A.M. LTD 25,001 to 50,000 10,001 to 25,000 10,001 to 25,000 10,001 to 25,000
BAYLIS MEDIA LTD 10,001 to 25,000 10,001 to 25,000 10,001 to 25,000 10,001 to 25,000
HIGHLAND NEWS AND MEDIA LIMITED 10,001 to 25,000 10,001 to 25,000 10,001 to 25,000 10,001 to 25,000
ILIFFE MEDIA PUBLISHING LIMITED 10,001 to 25,000 10,001 to 25,000 10,001 to 25,000 10,001 to 25,000
IRISH NEWS LTD 10,001 to 25,000 10,001 to 25,000 10,001 to 25,000 10,001 to 25,000
SOUTHWARK NEWSPAPER LTD 0.01 to 10,000 10,001 to 25,000 0.01 to 10,000 10,001 to 25,000
TINDLE NEWSPAPERS WALES AND THE BORDERS LIMITED 0.01 to 10,000 10,001 to 25,000 10,001 to 25,000 0.01 to 10,000
TINDLE NEWSPAPERS LTD 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000
TINDLE NEWSPAPERS SURREY & HAMPSHIRE LIMITED 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000
INDEPENDENT NEWS & MEDIA LTD 10,001 to 25,000 10,001 to 25,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000
NEW MILTON NEWS AND MEDIA LTD 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000
ILIFFE MEDIA LIMITED 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000
ILIFFE MEDIA GROUP LIMITED 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000
GAZETTE NEWSPAPER GROUP LIMI TED 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000
HOLDERNESS NEWSPAPERS LTD 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000
POST NEWSPAPERS LTD 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000
STRATFORD NEWS AND MEDIA LTD 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000

Broadcast

Company Dec-20 Jan-21 Feb-21 Mar-21
BAUER RADIO LTD 50,001 to 100,000 50,001 to 100,000 50,001 to 100,000 50,001 to 100,000
GLOBAL MEDIA GROUP SERVICES LIMITED 0.01 to 10,000 10,001 to 25,000 25,001 to 50,000 25,001 to 50,000
BAUER MEDIA AUDIO LIMITED 10,001 to 25,000 10,001 to 25,000 10,001 to 25,000 10,001 to 25,000
AL JAZEERA INTERNATIONAL LTD 0 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000
INDEPENDENT TELEVISION NEWS LIMITED 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000

Digital media

Company Dec-20 Jan-21 Feb-21 Mar-21
TORTOISE MEDIA LTD 0 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000
VICE UK LTD 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000

Magazines

Company Dec-20 Jan-21 Feb-21 Mar-21
TIME OUT ENGLAND LIMITED 0.01 to 10,000 25,001 to 50,000 50,001 to 100,000 25,001 to 50,000
THE CONDE NAST PUBLICATIONS LIMITED 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 10,001 to 25,000 0.01 to 10,000
THE CHELSEA MAGAZINE COMPANY LIMITED 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000
TIME OUT 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000
THE ECONOMIST NEWSPAPER LIMITED 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000
IMMEDIATE MEDIA COMPANY BRISTOL LIMITED 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000
IMMEDIATE MEDIA COMPANY LONDON LIMITED 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000
POSITIVE NEWS PUBLISHING LIMITED 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000

B2B media

Company Dec-20 Jan-21 Feb-21 Mar-21
WILLIAM REED BUSINESS MEDIA LTD 10,001 to 25,000 10,001 to 25,000 10,001 to 25,000 0.01 to 10,000
INCISIVE BUSINESS MEDIA LTD 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000

Specialist news

Company Dec-20 Jan-21 Feb-21 Mar-21
FRANCE MEDIA LIMITED 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000
HABER WEEKLY NEWSPAPER LTD 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000
HAMODIA NEWSPAPER LTD 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000
THE JEWISH TELEGRAPH LIMITED 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000
THE STAGE MEDIA COMPANY LIMITED 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000 0.01 to 10,000

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