Every guesthouse on the island registers with the council, in addition to whatever licensing it holds nationally. The council's register is a local one and exists for three practical reasons: the waste rate, the water plant, and knowing who to telephone at two in the morning.
To register, come to the counter with the property address, the number of rooms and beds, the name and number of the person in charge on the island, and the licence you hold nationally, which we note and do not assess. Registration is free. It takes twenty minutes and the council does not grant or refuse a licence to operate, which is not ours to give.
The monthly return is due on the fifth: beds occupied, nights sold and staff living on the island. It can be sent as a message, brought to the counter or given at the jetty desk. It takes two minutes and it sets your waste rate for the month, so a quiet month costs less.
A return that has not arrived by the tenth is chased once. A guesthouse that has sent none for three months is charged at its full registered bed count until the returns start again, which is the only sanction the council has and it has been used twice.