Labour has called for an investigation into Zack Polanski after his admission that he may have failed to pay the correct council tax while living on a London houseboat.
The Green Party leader has faced mounting questions over whether the houseboat, which is moored in east London, was his primary residence.
The party originally said he only stayed on the boat “occasionally”, but then issued an apology from Mr Polanski late on Monday night for what it called an “unintentional mistake”.
In a letter to the monitoring officer at the Greater London Assembly (GLA) – who is responsible for ensuring lawful governance and ethical standards – Labour Party chair Anna Turley wrote: “I am writing to ask that you investigate matters now in the public domain concerning Zack Polanski AM [assembly member].
“The Green Party has publicly acknowledged that Zack Polanski lived on a narrowboat at Lee Valley Marina over the past three years, and that council tax was not paid in relation to it during the relevant period, stating that he has now ‘taken steps to pay any council tax he may be found to owe’.
“This is a significant change from the earlier public position taken on his behalf that he stayed on the boat only ‘occasionally’.”
The letter, seen by The Independent, continued: “In light of the above, I would ask that you consider two issues.
“First, section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 requires various 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, and prohibits them from voting on such matters.
“I therefore ask that you investigate whether Mr Polanski has attended any relevant meetings since 2023, and if so whether he made any declaration of council tax arrears; and whether he has voted on any matters covered by section 106 of the Act since 2023.
“Second, the matters reported appear to breach the GLA Code of Conduct and the Nolan Principles, particularly honesty, integrity, accountability and openness.”
A Conservative member of the London Assembly, Neil Garratt, has also asked City Hall to look into whether Mr Polanski has breached the rules.
It comes after the London Assembly member also admitted he was wrong to previously describe himself as a spokesperson for the British Red Cross.
Labour said Mr Polanski “cannot be trusted” while the Conservatives accused him of “staggering hypocrisy”.
The Times last week reported seeing an advertisement for the sale of the boat, in which Mr Polanski’s partner wrote: “We are moving to a house and so will sadly be leaving the gorgeous community behind.”
The Daily Mail separately reported that Mr Polanski was registered to vote at a building near the marina, which he is also said to have used as a mailing address.
Tax lawyer Dan Neidle, founder of Tax Policy Associates, analysed Mr Polanski’s situation this week and wrote: “If the boat was in fact Mr Polanski’s ‘sole or main residence’ then he and/or his partner should have registered for, and paid, council tax for those three years.”
A Green Party spokesperson said late on Monday: “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.
The spokesperson added: “For security reasons, we do not comment publicly on Zack’s address.
“There have recently been two serious incidents which have been reported to the police and are under investigation.”
The Green Party previously said Mr Polanski rented a room at another address, where council tax was included in the rent and only stayed on the boat “occasionally”.
Government guidance states that a person may be liable for council tax on a boat if it is their “sole or main” residence.
In a letter outlining his formal complaint, Mr Garratt asked for an assessment of whether Mr Polanski might have breached the Greater London Authority Code of Conduct.
Mr Garratt said in a statement: “People rightly expect senior politicians to follow the rules and pay the taxes they impose on others.
“If Mr Polanski paid all his council tax, why is he refusing to answer direct questions about when and where he paid it? I have asked the City Hall authorities to formally investigate these claims, as the public has a right to know the truth.”
Mr Polanski has overseen a surge in support for the Greens since he took over as leader last year, but has recently come under increased scrutiny over past statements.
Last week, he acknowledged he was wrong to say he was a spokesperson for the British Red Cross, a claim he made when he campaigned to become the party’s deputy leader back in 2022.
He told the BBC he had hosted fundraisers for the charity, adding: “I used the wrong word, and I accept that, but I would essentially take words on stage with me and speak.”
The Labour Party said the Green leader had been “caught red-handed”.
“The Green Party leader has already been found out for fibbing over his employment history, and his hypnosis skills, and now this has emerged too. What else is Polanski hiding?
“This pattern of misleading the public shows Zack Polanski simply cannot be trusted.”
Conservative Party chair 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.”
Waltham Forest Council was contacted for comment.
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