Greater London Authority Clears Green Party Leader Zack Polanski in Houseboat Council Tax Complaint

Green Party co-leader Zack Polanski has been cleared by the Greater London Authority (GLA) following a complaint that he failed to pay council tax on a houseboat in Hackney. The formal grievance, submitted last month by Conservative Assembly Member Neil Garratt, alleged that Polanski had breached the Nolan Principles and the GLA code of conduct during his tenure as a London Assembly Member.

Complaint Dismissed

On Thursday, a GLA monitoring officer stated that "no further action" was required, and the case has been closed. The officer determined that the complaint "relates to the member's personal living arrangements" and "does not have a sufficient connection to his role as an assembly member."

Polanski has described the grievances, which also involved Labour MP Anna Turley, as "politically motivated and not made in good faith." The issue initially surfaced following reports that Polanski was registered to vote at a marina in east London but was not paying council tax for the mooring.

In his submission, Mr Garratt contended that as an Assembly Member, Polanski participates in approving the Mayor's budget and influences the level of council tax paid by Londoners via the mayoral precept. Garratt argued, "any conduct which is found to have fallen short of the required standards would also fall within his capacity as an assembly member, given he would have voted to set a tax level which he himself may not have paid."

Polanski's legal representatives countered that the complaint was "based on assumptions rather than established facts and must be viewed in the wider political context in which they have been made." Polanski maintained his belief that all charges associated with the mooring, including council tax, were covered by the fees he already paid, denying any deliberate intent to evade payment.

Mr Garratt remarked, "It is beyond parody that a left-wing politician who will take to the stage to demand other people pay their share of taxes, has then gone home and not paid his own or endeavoured to find out what tax he owes." A spokesperson for the Green Party previously confirmed that Polanski had "taken steps to pay any council tax he may be found to owe" and apologised for what was described as an "unintentional mistake."