Switch to an accessible version of this website which is easier to read. (requires cookies)

Mark Hunter MP fights for the future of local newsagents

June 26, 2009 2:54 PM
Newsagents

Mark fights for the future of local newsagents

Mark Hunter MP has pledged to fight for the future of newsagents across the Cheadle constituency.

Mr Hunter's commitment came after it was revealed by the National Federation of Retail Newsagents (NFRN) that traditional independent newsagents are being forced to shut up shop at a rate of more than one every day. Latest figures show that 510 such newsagents were forced to close their doors in the last year, an increase on the 482 newsagents who shut the year before.

Consolidations in the news distribution industry - the businesses that deliver newspapers and magazines - have left most newsagents with no choice over who supplies them. Shop owners fear that the lack of competition will leave them with no alternative supplier and vulnerable to increased costs.

Last week almost 800 newsagents delivered a petition to the Office of Fair Trading demanding urgent action to protect competition in the news distribution industry.

Mark Hunter MP today threw his weight behind the campaign to save Britain's newsagents and said, "Traditional newsagents are the backbone of our community. They deliver a vital service and are a friendly face that many people rely on every day.

"Many people rely on their local newsagents not only to pick up their papers and magazines but also for contact with their local community. Local newsagents are a vital part of the local economy, and having a local newsagent encourages people to use their local shops.

"It is unacceptable that so many newsagents face an uphill struggle to survive. The Government needs to take action to ensure that there competition in the news distribution industry so that newsagents can avoid increased costs and avoid closure. I am therefore happy to pledge my support to newsagents in Cheadle and across the UK."

What would you like to do next?

  • Subscribe for updates

    Read updates from this website in your desktop or online news reader

    • On a news reader website

      •  
      •  
      •  

      In a desktop news reader or a website not listed above

      •  
    • Example monthly digest email
      •  
      •  
      •  

    • If you submit your contact details, Mark Hunter MP, the Liberal Democrats, and their elected representatives may use the information you provide to contact you about issues you may find of interest. Some of the contacts may be automated. You can opt out of these contacts at any time by contacting us.


    • Generate different image

    Join our email list

    • If you submit your contact details, Mark Hunter MP, the Liberal Democrats, and their elected representatives may use the information you provide to contact you about issues you may find of interest. Some of the contacts may be automated. You can opt out of these contacts at any time by contacting us.


    • Generate different image

    Follow the party's activity on...

  • Share this page

    Share this page on another website

    Link to this page

    On websites and printed material:
    markhunter.org.uk/en/article/2009/435838/mark-hunter-mp-fights-for-the-future-of-local-newsagents
    In text messages, Twitter, or reading over the phone:
    markhunter.org.uk/a8lSZ

    Email this page to a friend


    • Generate different image

    Print this page

  • Help out or donate

    Help out in your local area

      •  
      •  
      •  
      •  
      •  
      •  
      •  
      •  
      •  
      •  
      •  
      •  

    • If you submit your contact details, Mark Hunter MP, the Liberal Democrats, and their elected representatives may use the information you provide to contact you about issues you may find of interest. Some of the contacts may be automated. You can opt out of these contacts at any time by contacting us.


    • Generate different image

    Join the Liberal Democrats

  • Tell us what you think

    Send us your views

    If you are a resident of the Cheadle constituency and are writing to discuss any issue that Parliament or government is responsible for, you must provide your home address as MPs are generally only permitted to act on behalf of constituents.

    If you are not a constituent, you do not need to provide your address, but the matters we can deal with are more limited and you may wish to contact your local MP in the first instance.

    • If you agree, Mark Hunter MP, the Liberal Democrats, and their elected representatives may use the information you provide to contact you about issues you may find of interest. Some of the contacts may be automated. You can opt out of these contacts at any time by contacting us.


    • Generate different image

    Contact us by email, post, or phone