Preoday responds to Westminster crackdown on food deliveries

Preoday believes the regulation could be adopted by other Local Authorities if successful in Westminster.

Nick Hucker, head of business development at Preoday said, "Just recently, Westminster Council wants restaurants using apps for the bulk of deliveries to apply for planning permission. The Council's ruling should be welcomed by local businesses. It will encourage customers to think local when ordering and could boost traffic for independent companies that obtain delivery permission. Marketed well, it could also encourage click and collect services. With click and collect, customers get the benefit of digital pre-ordering, while keeping the relationships that come from personal contact.

“We do have one worry. While we acknowledge that public health and safety is paramount, we implore the Council to be realistic with the new rules. Not every business is using Deliveroo or UberEats. In fact, more and more, they are managing it themselves. If applications are too complicated, it will dissuade smaller companies from growing their delivery service. The result will be a loss of custom for those businesses.

“The Council must take the livelihood of local, independent businesses into account when implementing the new rules; in this competitive age, those that don’t fully adapt to changing consumer trends will certainly suffer.”