Zack Polanski cleared of conduct breach over houseboat tax

Zack Polanski, the leader of the Green Party on the London Assembly, has been cleared of breaching the body's code of conduct over allegations he failed to pay council tax while living on a houseboat. An independent inquiry by the Greater London Authority's monitoring officer concluded on June 18 that the matter related to his personal living arrangements and fell outside the scope of the Assembly's ethics rules, requiring no further action.

The complaint was submitted last month by Conservative Assembly Member Neil Garratt, who alleged Polanski had breached the Nolan Principles and the GLA Code of Conduct. It followed reports that Polanski, who moved onto a narrowboat moored at Lee Valley Marina in Springfield in August 2022, had not paid council tax for at least three years despite the boat being his primary residence and registered voting address.

In a detailed witness statement, Polanski explained his position, stating he believed any applicable council tax was being managed through the mooring fees he paid. He said he did not undertake further inquiries at the time regarding the specific tax implications, acknowledging this was an unintentional mistake for which he has...