GLA considering investigation into Zack Polanski over houseboat council tax | Zack Polanski
London council officials are considering whether to launch an investigation against Zack Polanski after he admitted he may not have paid council tax correctly while living on a houseboat in the capital.
The Green Party leader has faced questions over whether his houseboat, moored in east London, is his primary residence. A spokesman for his party described the situation as an “inadvertent mistake” and said Polanski “immediately took steps” to pay any taxes he owed.
Last week, Labor leader Anna Turley wrote to the Greater London Authority (GLA) watchdog calling for an investigation into Polanski, an elected member of that body, into whether he had breached the standards to which he is bound.
The monitoring officer is understood to be considering whether to launch an investigation into the matter. In email correspondence reported by the Times, they 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 behavior of elected members in accordance with the approved GLA member code of conduct complaints procedure.
“This will now be assessed in accordance with the authority’s established procedures, including an initial assessment of whether an investigation is necessary.”
Once a formal complaint is made, the subject of the complaint has seven to 10 days to respond in writing. After consulting and making recommendations from two independent individuals outside the GLA, which includes the mayor of London and 25 London councillors, the watchdog will make a decision.
Council members could face sanctions if they are found to have violated ethics rules; but these are usually minor and may result in a meeting or apology.
The Green Party had told the Times that Polanski had rented a room at another address where council tax was included in the rent and that he only stayed on the boat “occasionally”. Government guidance says a person may be liable for council tax if the boat is their “sole or main” residence. Times also reported that there was an ad for the sale of the boat, with Polanski’s partner writing: “We are moving into a house and therefore will unfortunately be leaving this wonderful community behind.”
Waltham Forest Council has confirmed it has launched an investigation into whether any council tax is owed due to the mooring where the houseboat is located.
In his letter to the monitor last week, Turley referred to section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992; This clause required public office holders, including GLA members, who were two months or more overdue on council taxes to declare this fact at meetings dealing with certain financial matters. It also prohibits them from voting on such issues.
A Green Party spokesman said: “Zack is aware of the complaints made by Labor and the Conservative Party. He denies any wrongdoing and will fully co-operate with the official process to answer any questions.”
A GLA spokesman said: “The monitoring officer received two complaints that AM Zack Polanski had breached the code of conduct for members of the Greater London authority.
“These complaints are being dealt with under the GLA’s normal process. It would be inappropriate to comment further while this process is ongoing.”
