Sir Roger Gale
Member of Parliament for Herne Bay and Sandwich (including West Thanet)
Roger Gale fights for the future of local newsagent
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June 25th 2009
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Roger Gale has pledged to fight for the future of newsagents in North Thanet.
The commitment came after it was revealed that traditional newsagents are being forced to shut up shop at a rate of more than one every day.
Developments 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.
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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.
Roger today threw his weight behind the campaign to save Britain’s newsagents.
He said:
“Community newsagents deliver a vital service and are a friendly face that many people rely on every day. They are a most important part of town and village life and if we lose them they will never be replaced. You cannot re-invent years of traditional service”.
“It is shocking and unacceptable that so many newsagents face an uphill struggle to survive. I am happy to pledge my support to newsagents in Margate, Herne Bay, our rural villages and across the UK.”
Roger supporting the Newsagents