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Green leader Zack Polanski admits he failed to pay council tax on his houseboat

The Green Party leader faced scrutiny last week on his living arrangements

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Green Party leader Zack Polanski.
Zack Polanski has come under fire for his council tax and living arrangements. Picture: Alamy

By Alex Storey

Green Party leader Zack Polanski has admitted failing to pay the correct council tax while living on a houseboat in London.

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Mr Polanski was facing questions about his arrangements after he insisted he did not have to pay the council tax on a narrowboat he owned, despite it being described as his "home" in an advertisement when he decided to sell it.

A spokesperson for the Greens confirmed on Monday evening that the party leader "immediately took steps to pay any council tax he may be found to owe".

The statement read: "Until relatively recently, Zack was living on a houseboat, which came with its own unique practical circumstances and considerations.

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"He has immediately taken steps to pay any council tax he may be found to owe. Zack apologises sincerely for the unintentional mistake."

The statement 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 controversy came to ight after an online listing seen by The Times for the boat in which his partner wrote: "We are moving to a house and so will sadly be leaving the gorgeous community behind."

Neighbours have suggested the couple were at the narrowboat more than just "occasionally", according to The Telegraph, who report they had their laundry collected and dropped off from there.

Mr Polanski has come under fire about his voter registration details following last week's local elections.

The party leader registered a bungalow in east London as his residence on the electoral roll, meaning he was eligible to vote in elections for that council area last week and in general elections.

But the Lee Valley Authority, which owns the property, has said the party leader and his partner never rented the bungalow.

The revelation means it was not his home and therefore he may have broken electoral law.

Knowingly or recklessly giving false information on an electoral registration application is a criminal offence that carries a maximum penalty of prison time.

Kevin Hollinrake, the chairman of the Conservative Party, said Mr Polanski had "serious questions" to answer and it was time for him to be transparent about where he lived.

Mr Hollinrake said: "Zack Polanski needs to come clean about his living arrangements, because they simply don’t appear to match the public record.

"There are serious questions over whether the correct council tax has been paid on his houseboat. The public deserves clear answers."