Published: June 29, 2009
Burnham-On-Sea's MP supports campaign to save newsagents

Burnham-On-Sea's MP has this week given his support to a new campaign to 'Save Britain's Newsagents'.

David Heathcoat-Amory was at the launch of a campaign in Westminster, pictured, calling on the Office of Fair Trading to investigate contracts in the news and distribution industry.

It comes after the OFT decided that increased competition in the distribution market would benefit consumers, yet within months two regional monopolies have emerged, sweeping away almost all other competition.

Following the launch of the campaign, the MP told Burnham-On-Sea.com: "Independent shops give colour and character to a shopping street and I would hate it if all our towns became dominated by the national retail chains."

"Independent newsagents are under great pressure from rising costs and the danger of a monopoly developing in wholesale distribution."

"I will be raising this in the House of Commons because I do not want our independent newsagents to go the way of small post offices."

The latest statistics showed that 510 newsagents went bankrupt last year and 482 closed in 2007.