diff --git a/lib/iris/tests/test_whatsnew_contributions.py b/lib/iris/tests/test_whatsnew_contributions.py
deleted file mode 100644
index 42e816acba..0000000000
--- a/lib/iris/tests/test_whatsnew_contributions.py
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,63 +0,0 @@
-# Copyright Iris contributors
-#
-# This file is part of Iris and is released under the LGPL license.
-# See COPYING and COPYING.LESSER in the root of the repository for full
-# licensing details.
-"""
-Check the the latest "whatsnew" contributions files have usable names.
-
-The files in "./docs...whatsnew/contributions_<xx.xx>/" should have filenames
-with a particular structure, which encodes a summary name.
-These names are interpreted by "./docs...whatsnew/aggregate_directory.py".
-This test just ensures that all those files have names which that process
-can accept.
-
-.. note:
-    This only works within a developer installation: In a 'normal' install the
-    location of the docs sources is not known.
-    In a Travis installation, this test silently passes and the .travis.yml
-    invokes the checking command directly.
-
-"""
-
-# import iris tests first.
-import iris.tests as tests
-
-import os
-import os.path
-import subprocess
-import sys
-
-import iris
-
-
-class TestWhatsnewContribs(tests.IrisTest):
-    def test_check_contributions(self):
-        # Get dirpath of overall iris installation.
-        # Note: assume iris at "<install>/lib/iris".
-        iris_module_dirpath = os.path.dirname(iris.__file__)
-        iris_dirs = iris_module_dirpath.split(os.sep)
-        install_dirpath = os.sep.join(iris_dirs[:-2])
-
-        # Construct path to docs 'whatsnew' directory.
-        # Note: assume docs at "<install>/docs".
-        whatsnew_dirpath = os.path.join(
-            install_dirpath, "docs", "iris", "src", "whatsnew"
-        )
-
-        # Quietly ignore if the directory does not exist: It is only there in
-        # in a developer installation, not a normal install.
-        # Travis bypasses this problem by running the test directly.
-        if os.path.exists(whatsnew_dirpath):
-            # Run a 'check contributions' command in that directory.
-            cmd = [
-                sys.executable,
-                "aggregate_directory.py",
-                "--checkonly",
-                "--quiet",
-            ]
-            subprocess.check_call(cmd, cwd=whatsnew_dirpath)
-
-
-if __name__ == "__main__":
-    tests.main()