Key facts
- Zack Polanski has been cleared by an ethics inquiry regarding council tax payments.
- The inquiry found the circumstances of his living arrangements were beyond its scope.
- Complaints alleged Polanski did not pay council tax while living on a houseboat in east London.
- Polanski stated he believed council tax was included in his mooring fees due to previous property guardian arrangements.
- He apologized for an "unintentional mistake" and denied any intent to evade tax.
Zack Polanski, leader of the Green party and a London assembly member, has been cleared by an ethics inquiry concerning allegations of unpaid council tax while he resided on a houseboat in east London. The report from the Greater London authority's monitoring officer concluded that the specific circumstances of Polanski's living arrangements fell outside the inquiry's jurisdiction, thus finding no breach of the code of conduct for London assembly members.
The complaints, lodged by the Labour and Conservative parties, centered on Polanski's alleged failure to pay council tax during his time living on the houseboat from 2022. Polanski, who had previously apologized for an "unintentional mistake," provided evidence to the monitoring officer, stating that it remained unclear whether any tax was actually due, as the boat's location was on the border of two local authorities. He also shared his personal experiences with financial hardship and housing insecurity, noting that he had previously lived as a property guardian, where council tax was typically managed through license fees.