Glastonbury's caravan count has risen to 149, almost matching the number of entire homes and flats listed on Airbnb in the town, as fresh housing figures underline the pressure facing local people trying to find somewhere to live.

Somerset Council figures show the number of caravans recorded across Glastonbury rose by 11 during April, reaching 149 by Wednesday, 29 April 2026. Separate short-term-let data seen by Nub News shows 145 entire homes and flats in the town listed on Airbnb.

The figures do not prove that holiday lets are directly causing the rise in roadside living. But they put hard numbers on one of Glastonbury's most sensitive debates: where people are supposed to live when rents are rising, social housing waits are long, and a significant number of homes are being marketed for short stays.

The April rise was far steeper than the pattern seen in recent years. In April 2025, the caravan count went up by four. In April 2024, it fell by one. In April 2023, it rose by four, and in April 2022 it fell by six.

Across those four years, the average April change was an increase of just 0.25 caravans. This year's April increase was 11.

Caravans, camper vans and other vehicles used as homes were recorded around Northload Bridge, Bretenoux Road, Benedict Street, Old Wells Road, Street Road, Wirral Park Road, Wells Road, Wick Lane and the A39 Beckery Road. Northload Bridge was among the highest-count locations, with 10 caravans recorded.

The council update also listed camper vans, vans, cars and encampment-related items, reflecting the range of vehicles and belongings that form part of the town's long-running roadside dwelling issue.

At the same time, Glastonbury's short-term-let market remains significant. With around 4,000 residential properties in the town, 145 entire-home Airbnb listings mean more than one in every 25 homes is being advertised as a whole-property short-term let.

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When private room listings are added, the number of Airbnb listings rises to 276, equivalent to nearly 7% of local accommodation.

In just one month - June last year - entire-home listings in Glastonbury earned £298,100, according to Airroi data previously reported by Nub News. Private rooms brought in another £86,400, while the average nightly rate rose from £103 in January to £140 in June.

For landlords, those figures show why short-term letting can be financially attractive. For residents looking for a stable home, they help explain why the market can feel increasingly difficult to access.

The wider rental market is also tightening. Average private rents in Somerset have climbed to £986 a month, according to Office for National Statistics figures published on Wednesday, 20 May 2026.

That was up 4.1% in the year to April, from £948 in April 2025. The average one-bedroom home in the county now costs £671 a month, while a two-bedroom property averages £886 and a three-bedroom home is now £1,101. For homes with four or more bedrooms, the average rent is £1,576.

The county figures do not show Glastonbury rents separately, but they add confirmed context to a town where roadside living, short-term lets and housing availability are now part of the same public debate.

Propertymark chief executive Nathan Emerson said the latest rent figures showed "the continuing imbalance between tenant demand and the supply of homes available to rent".

He said: "Rents are still moving upwards because supply remains constrained in many local markets.

"Agents on the ground continue to report strong competition for good-quality rental homes, particularly for family properties and homes close to transport links and employment hubs."

He added that many landlords were still weighing up rising costs, taxation and regulation, limiting the number of homes coming onto the market.

Mr Emerson said: "What we are seeing is a supply issue rather than excessive demand."

The pressure is not limited to the private market. More than 12,500 households are currently on the Homefinder housing register in Somerset, according to a council report, with one- and two-bedroom homes the most in-demand properties.

The report said it would take eight years to house everyone needing a one-bedroom home in Somerset. It also found that an average of 13 people apply for every one-bed house or flat that becomes available.

Local councillors have called for more work to ensure the service helps those in the most urgent need, and have also said people who were rough sleeping must be properly supported.

The Homefinder figures do not show how many people on the register are in Glastonbury. But they add to the picture of a county-wide housing squeeze, with rising private rents, long waits for social housing and visible roadside living all feeding into the same local debate.

Glastonbury MP Sarah Dyke has previously said the town lacks the infrastructure to support the number of people living in vehicles, including basic sanitation facilities.

In a letter to the Housing Secretary last year, she said some people were living in vans by choice, while others had been forced into vehicles because they could not afford rent or needed support. She also said Somerset had no transition sites and that Somerset Council was looking at permanent pitches to help regulate dwellings and provide better security and welfare facilities.

Those comments were made before the latest April caravan count, but they underline why the issue has become one of the town's most difficult local arguments.

For residents and traders, concerns often include parking pressure, waste, abandoned vehicles, road safety and the effect on nearby homes and businesses. For people living in vehicles, the issue can be tied to rent levels, housing availability, welfare, insecure work and the need for somewhere safe to stay.

One van-dweller previously told Nub News: "It's not about freedom or lifestyle. It's necessity. I've got a job, I've got references, but I can't find anywhere to rent that I can afford — or even anywhere that's available."

Airbnb has disputed the wider claim that it is driving the UK housing crisis. The company has said only a small fraction of British homes are listed on the platform and that many are rented for only a few days a month.

But Glastonbury is not a large city where small percentages disappear into a huge housing stock. It is a town of fewer than 9,000 people, with limited housing supply and a roadside dwelling issue that is already one of the most visible in Somerset.

Somerset Council officers said they held face-to-face meetings throughout April with members of the caravan community, businesses and other local people. Officers also attended the Glastonbury Town Council Roadside Dwellers Working Group.

Residents are being urged to keep reporting abandoned caravans to Somerset Council. They are also being asked to report unauthorised encampments through the council's online reporting system, using What3Words where possible so officers can find exact locations.

The numbers now leave Glastonbury with a stark comparison: 149 caravans recorded by the council, 145 whole homes and flats listed on Airbnb, average private rents across Somerset at £986 a month, more than 12,500 households on the county's housing register, and an eight-year wait for everyone needing a one-bedroom home.

Between those figures sits the question the town has still not answered: where are local people supposed to live?

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