Polanski 'staying in £2m house' after admitting underpaying council tax on houseboat
The Green Party leader has faced questions over whether a house boat moored in London was his primary residence
Green Party leader Zack Polanski has reportedly been staying at a £2 million property after admitting he may have failed to pay council tax on a houseboat.
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Mr Polanski has been facing mounting questions regarding his arrangements after he insisted he did not have to pay the council tax on a narrowboat he owned in London, despite it being described as his "home" in an advertisement when he decided to sell it.
A spokesperson for the Greens admitted to the blunder on Monday evening and said that the party leader "immediately took steps to pay any council tax he may be found to owe".
It has now been revealed that the leader is staying at the five-bedroom property in Hackney, east London, with Green Party politician Alastair Binnie-Lubbock, 40.
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When asked whether he lived at the Hackney property, a woman there initially told The Times: "No, absolutely not," before closing the door, only to reopen it and say: "Sorry, yes, Zack does live here."
The statement from the Green Party on Monday evening read: "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 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 party previously told The Times that Mr Polanski rented a room at another address where council tax was included in the rent and only occasionally stayed on the boat.
The controversy came to light 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, as revealed by the Daily Mail.
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.