A Stockport councillor has raised concerns about delivery drivers ferrying alcohol across the borough after taking orders from 24-hour shops.
The comments were made during a Stockport health scrutiny committee meeting on October 15, during a discussion of a new report on alcohol services. The review looked at the effectiveness of treatment and support for those affected by alcohol-related issues and called for public health officials to be able to make comments about licensing applications.
Alcohol treatment figures
A council report said that in the year between April 2025 and March 2026, 1,873 people accessed structured drug and alcohol treatment. Of these, 623 were in treatment for alcohol.
At the October 15 meeting, Councillor Keith Holloway praised the report, telling the committee: “It’s picked up what we learnt from the review and has actually expanded some of the things that we knew.
“You’ve obviously looked in much more detail about the lived experience, the groups that are available right across Stockport which is far far more than I think we understood when the review started so great that that’s there.
“Really good that it’s recognised and I think that gives us a good basis to build on for the future and clearly the importance of ensuring that public health [officers] are able to comment on licensing again.
Concerns over 24-hour alcohol sales
“One of the things that emerged from the review that I probably should have known but didn’t is the fact that there are now mini markets that supply alcohol 24-hours-a-day and are very happy for Deliveroo or whatever to pass on, “yeah, here’s your bottle of whisky” or whatever, and you think, that can’t be the right way to go about.
“So the opportunity for public health to be able to make those comments in a way that can be responded to I think is really helpful.”
Retailers selling alcohol on the marketplace are legally responsible for acquiring the appropriate licensing for in-store and delivery distribution, which the Manchester Evening News understands must be accurately reflected on Deliveroo’s marketplace.
For example, the Manchester Evening News understands retailers selling alcohol on the company’s platform are responsible for setting the correct hours in line with their agreed licence. A retailer cannot sell alcohol 24/7 through the platform, unless they hold a 24-hour licence, which would also apply to in-store sales.
Platform safeguards
Deliveroo is also not the only platform that partners with convenience stores selling alcohol. Similarly, many supermarkets operate owned on-demand delivery channels which sell alcohol (Tesco Whoosh and Ocado etc).
It’s understood Deliveroo has a number of safeguards in place to support those struggling with alcohol dependency issues, including their specialist policy, where they can either suspend a customer’s entire account, or they can simply prevent the ability to purchase alcohol.
It’s believed the company can activate these changes when Deliveroo has been made aware of potential welfare/customer safety concerns regarding alcohol misuse, which can be raised by a friend, loved one, or a qualified healthcare professional.
The Manchester Evening News also understands all riders are provided with dedicated training on age-restricted items to ensure they can deliver age-restricted products safely and in line with all relevant laws. This training is given to all riders before they onboard with Deliveroo and explains their legal responsibilities.
Additionally, riders are not permitted to deliver orders containing alcohol to a customer who cannot provide a valid form of ID or to a customer who appears intoxicated. The Manchester Evening News understands Deliveroo regularly monitors compliance of this through third-party mystery shopping audits, and riders who fail these checks risk being offboarded.
