GLA assesses formal complaint into Green leader Polanski over houseboat tax liabilities

The Greater London Authority is currently assessing whether to initiate a formal investigation into Green party leader Zack Polanski following complaints regarding his council tax liabilities. The review was triggered after Labour party chair Anna Turley wrote to the GLA monitoring officer, alleging that Polanski had breached the authority’s member code of conduct by potentially failing to pay the correct tax while residing on a houseboat in east London.

The monitoring officer has confirmed receipt of two formal complaints, lodged by the Labour and Conservative parties, and is treating the correspondence under the GLA’s standards regime. An initial assessment is underway to determine if a full investigation is required. Under established procedures, Polanski has between seven and 10 days to respond in writing to the allegations before the monitoring officer consults two independent advisors outside the authority to reach a decision.

Polanski’s party has characterised the situation as an unintentional mistake, stating that the Green leader has immediately taken steps to settle any outstanding tax liabilities. A spokesperson for the Green party confirmed that Polanski denies any wrongdoing and has pledged to cooperate fully with the official process to address any queries raised by the complaints.

The scrutiny centres on whether the houseboat constituted Polanski’s sole or main residence. While the Green party previously indicated that Polanski rented a room at another address where council tax was included in the rent and only stayed on the boat occasionally, government guidance suggests liability may arise if the vessel is the primary home. Complicating matters, an advertisement for the sale of the boat, written by Polanski’s partner, stated that they were moving to a house and leaving the community behind.

Concurrently, Waltham Forest council has launched a separate investigation into whether council tax was owed on the mooring itself. Turley cited section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 in her correspondence, which mandates that public office holders in arrears for two months or more must declare this fact at meetings considering financial matters and are prohibited from voting on such issues. A GLA spokesperson declined to comment further while the matter remains under active consideration.