Scotland Yard has been urged by the Conservatives to investigate Green Party leader Zack Polanski after he admitted failing to pay council tax while living on a houseboat in east London. Mr Polanski, a member of the London Assembly, apologised on Monday for the 'unintentional mistake' and said he had 'immediately taken steps to pay any council tax' owed.
Political backlash
The Conservatives and Labour have both referred Mr Polanski to the City Hall sleaze watchdog over his council tax arrangements. On Tuesday, Labour chair Anna Turley reported the Green leader to City Hall authorities, questioning whether he had broken the law by failing to declare his council tax arrears. A letter seen by the Mail states: 'Mr Polanski appears to have failed to comply with the provisions of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 while holding elected office as an Assembly Member.'
Neil Garratt, leader of the City Hall Conservatives, said: 'Zack's had plenty to say about other people not paying tax, but now it seems he was voting on Londoners' council tax bills without paying his own. No politician is above the law, no matter how good an actor, or ignorant of the law they may be. His story keeps changing, but if he's broken the law then City Hall authorities should report him to the police and Scotland Yard should investigate, as the public will want answers.'
Legal complexities
It is not clear whether Mr Polanski’s tax arrangements are considered a breach of the law, or if the obligation would be on City Hall’s monitoring officers to report it to the police. The Greater London Authority (GLA) confirmed a complaint was being considered by the monitoring officer but said they were unable to provide an update on Tuesday night due to the legal complexity.
Mr Polanski was registered on the electoral roll at a building in a marina where he kept the narrowboat, had post delivered there, and regularly had laundry collected from the boat. His boyfriend referred to the canal barge as their 'amazing home' over the past three years, and the Greens admitted he had lived on the boat until 'relatively recently'.
Government guidance states that council tax is payable if a boat is a person's 'main residence', but public records show that Mr Polanski's boat was not registered for council tax at the marina. The boat and mooring would be rated as Band A, meaning Mr Polanski could owe council tax of about £4,000 for three years, according to analysis by Dan Neidle from Tax Policy Associates.
Further developments
Green Party-run Waltham Forest council said it was 'making assessments and taking legal advice' and 'working with Mr Polanski's team' to establish the facts. On Tuesday, it emerged that the Green leader has been staying at a £2 million property in Hackney linked to a senior Green Party politician since moving out of the houseboat. Mr Polanski is staying at the five-bedroom property in east London with Alastair Binnie-Lubbock, co-leader of the Hackney Greens and grandson of the late Liberal Democrat peer Lord Avebury, according to The Times.
Mr Polanski was also branded a 'hypocrite' after it emerged he previously called on Nigel Farage to resign over his tax affairs and said Angela Rayner was right to quit for not paying enough stamp duty. Tory chairman Kevin Hollinrake said: 'This is staggering hypocrisy from Zack Polanski. A man who wants to hike taxes for millions has failed to pay his own council tax properly.'
A Green Party spokesman said: 'Until relatively recently, Zack was living on a houseboat, which came with its own unique practical circumstances and considerations. He has immediately taken steps to pay any council tax he may be found to owe. Zack apologises sincerely for the unintentional mistake.' A Waltham Forest spokesman added: 'We are working with Mr Polanski's team to establish the full picture, at which point we will be able to determine whether or not there is any council tax owed to Waltham Forest.'
