Bath, a renowned tourist hotspot, is grappling with an escalating waste management issue linked to the surge in holiday lets — a challenge made more complex by the absence of a comprehensive registry for these properties. Despite facing a well-documented housing crisis, local authorities remain uncertain about the exact number of holiday lets operating within the city.
Lisa Gore, Waste Strategy Manager for Bath and North East Somerset Council, highlighted the problem during a council scrutiny panel on July 9. She explained that council teams must painstakingly identify holiday lets on a street-by-street basis, since there is no central database to track them. “As holiday lets are identified, the team researches whether they pay business rates or council tax and then contacts letting agents,” Gore said, “but it is a labor-intensive process.”
This scrutiny panel reviewed the initial six months following the introduction of the council’s new evening business waste regulations. These rules mandate that business waste be placed in gull-proof sacks and only put out after 6pm. When questioned if similar rules should extend to holiday lets, Council Cabinet Member Ian Halsall noted, “There is ongoing debate about whether holiday lets should be classified as businesses and charged accordingly. It’s something we are actively considering.”
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Halsall emphasized that responses to holiday lets are currently handled on a case-by-case basis. The council has issued fixed penalty notices in some instances while, in others, simply advising property owners to instruct guests on proper rubbish disposal schedules. He also revealed a push for a national register of holiday lets to better manage the issue. Notably, there are 1,850 holiday lets listed in the Bath area on Airbnb alone.
Regarding the new waste regulations, 41 fines were issued in the first six months, largely for breaches such as placing waste out too early or without proper identification. Initially, these infractions were common: in the first week alone, 61 businesses set out unmarked waste and 43 did so prematurely. However, compliance improved rapidly, with only one violation of each type by the seventh week.
The 6pm bin placement rule drew controversy, especially among shops closing at 5pm, as it could cost them over £3,000 annually in extra wages to comply. Despite objections from 80 businesses before the rule’s introduction and 21 complaints afterward, the council remains committed to enforcing the policy to ensure cleaner streets.
Bath’s situation underscores the challenges posed by the growth of holiday lets in popular tourist cities — from exacerbating housing issues to straining waste management systems — and highlights the need for clearer regulations and better data to balance economic benefits with community wellbeing.