Should Belize City Have a Bigger Say on Who Gets a Liquor Licence?

Should bars stay open later? Are there too many liquor licences? What should happen when businesses repeatedly ignore noise regulations? Those are some of the questions the Ministry of Local Government wants Belize City residents to help answer.

Next Tuesday, July 28, the ministry will host a public consultation at the House of Culture as part of a nationwide effort to modernise Belize’s liquor licensing system. Residents, business owners, promoters and community groups are all being invited to weigh in on reforms that could change how liquor licences are granted and regulated.

The review comes amid long-standing complaints over the fairness of the licensing process, open-air bars, excessive noise, breaches of operating hours and other concerns that have frustrated residents and business owners alike.

Belize City Mayor Bernard Wagner says the consultation is designed to ensure the public has a direct say before any changes are finalised.

“Again, with the liquor license reform is a local government-driven initiative being conducted across the entire country. And so Belize City is one of those stops,” Wagner said. “It’s an opportunity for residents to come out and really engage and be a stakeholder in this reform in respect to liquor licensing.”