London assembly officials are considering whether to launch an investigation into Zack Polanski, the Green party leader, after he admitted he may have failed to pay the correct council tax while living on a houseboat in the capital. The houseboat, moored in east London, has raised questions about whether it was his primary residence.
Background of the Complaint
Last week, Anna Turley, the chair of the Labour party, wrote to the Greater London Authority (GLA) monitoring officer, calling for an investigation into Polanski as an elected member of the London Assembly. Turley cited concerns over a potential breach of the standards to which assembly members are bound.
A spokesperson for the Green party described the situation as an “unintentional mistake” and stated that Polanski had “immediately taken steps” to pay any tax owed. The party previously told The Times that Polanski rented a room at another address where council tax was included in the rent and stayed on the boat only “occasionally”.
Official Response
The monitoring officer is reportedly treating the correspondence as a formal complaint under the GLA’s standards regime. In email correspondence reported by The Times, the officer said: “I am treating your correspondence as a formal complaint under the GLA’s standards regime. The monitoring officer is required to consider complaints about the conduct of elected members in accordance with the approved GLA member code of conduct complaints procedure. This will now be considered in accordance with the authority’s established procedures, including an initial assessment of whether an investigation is required.”
When a formal complaint is made, the subject has seven to 10 days to respond in writing. After consulting two independent individuals outside the GLA, which comprises the mayor of London and the 25 London assembly members, the monitoring officer will make a decision on whether to proceed with an investigation.
Potential Sanctions
Assembly members can face sanctions if found to be in breach of ethics rules, though these are often minor and may result in a meeting or apology. Government guidance states that a person may be liable for council tax on a boat if it is their “sole or main” residence. The Times also reported an advertisement for the sale of the boat in which Polanski’s partner wrote: “We are moving to a house and so will sadly be leaving the gorgeous community behind.”
Waltham Forest council has confirmed it launched an investigation into whether any council tax was owed on the mooring where the houseboat was situated.
Legal Context
In her letter to the monitoring officer, Turley cited section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, which requires public office holders, including GLA members, who are two months or more in arrears on their council tax to declare that fact at meetings considering certain financial matters. It also prohibits them from voting on such matters.
A Green party spokesperson said: “Zack is aware of complaints made by the Labour party and the Conservative party. He denies any wrongdoing and will cooperate fully with the official process to answer any queries.”
A GLA spokesperson added: “The monitoring officer has received two complaints that AM Zack Polanski breached the Greater London Authority’s members’ code of conduct. Those complaints are being considered under the GLA’s usual process. It would not be appropriate to comment further while this process is ongoing.”
