Zack Polanski, the Green Party leader and London Assembly member, has been cleared of allegations that he breached the Greater London Authority code of conduct over concerns that he may have failed to pay council tax correctly while living on a houseboat moored in east London.
GLA monitoring officer Rory McKenna decided that no further action was needed, finding that Polanski’s council tax position arose “solely from his personal living arrangements” and bore no “sufficient link to the member’s public role.”
“This is because the conduct complained of falls outside the scope of the code,” McKenna wrote, “and the member was not acting in an official capacity.”
The complaints had been brought by Conservative London Assembly member Neil Garratt and Labour Party chair Anna Turley MP, who asked City Hall to investigate whether Polanski had breached conduct rules. Turley had also raised the possibility of a criminal offence under section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992, which prevents local authority members in council tax arrears for more than two months from voting on council tax or budget decisions.
The monitoring officer declined to pursue that avenue either, stating he “did not consider there to be grounds to pursue the matter as a potential criminal offence or to refer it to the police.”
Polanski’s lawyers described the complaints as “vexatious” and “politically motivated,” amounting to “the type of ‘tit-for-tat’ complaint that the GLA complaints procedure identifies as unsuitable for investigation.”
In a witness statement released on Wednesday, Polanski set out the background to his living situation. He moved to the houseboat with his partner in August 2022, having previously lived in London as a “property guardian” – an arrangement whereby someone occupies an otherwise vacant building in exchange for modest licence fees.
Under those arrangements, council tax had been handled through the licence fee payments he made to the relevant provider. “Whilst unconventional, this became my normal experience of housing administration and associated household outgoings,” he wrote.
His explanation for choosing that kind of housing in the first place was direct. “This was one of the few affordable housing options available to me in London during a period marked by economic uncertainty, austerity measures and significant cost-of-living pressures,” he wrote. “I have personal experience of financial hardship and housing insecurity. Having lived through periods of economic difficulty on a limited income, I understand first-hand the challenges faced by many Londoners.”
He acknowledged not carrying out further inquiries about the specific council tax implications of moving from property guardianship to living on a narrowboat, but strongly denied any dishonesty. “There was never any intention on my part to evade council tax, avoid legal obligations, or obtain any improper financial advantage. Any failure to appreciate the position arose solely from a misunderstanding of what was required in relation to an unusual and unconventional living arrangement.”
As of 10 June, he was still waiting for the London Borough of Waltham Forest to confirm whether any council tax liability exists. On that question, Polanski was unambiguous about what he would do either way. If he is found liable, he will pay in full. If he is found not liable, he intends to make a charitable donation equivalent to what might have been owed, to a homelessness charity.
The clearance comes at a difficult moment for the complaints’ authors. Anna Turley lodged the complaint in her capacity as Labour Party chair, at a time when Polanski’s profile has risen significantly. As we reported in our Polanski Musk piece, Polanski told Elon Musk to “pipe down” after the billionaire called him “a scumbag and a traitor” for asking for calm during the Belfast riots – and got three times as many likes. As we reported in our Polanski Yusuf piece, he also compared Reform’s “some cultures are MUCH better than others” post to language used against Jews in the 1930s.
A complaint that goes nowhere and was described as vexatious by the subject’s lawyers is not the result the complainants were hoping for.
The underlying question of what Polanski actually owes in council tax has not yet been resolved – that awaits Waltham Forest’s determination. But on the conduct question, the answer from the GLA’s own monitoring officer is clear.
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