Green Party Admits Leader Zack Polanski Lived on London Houseboat, May Owe Council Tax

The Green Party has admitted that its leader, Zack Polanski, lived on a houseboat in London until recently and may have failed to pay council tax.

A party spokesperson told the BBC that Polanski had "taken steps to pay any council tax he may be found to owe."

Polanski faces questions over whether the houseboat, moored at a marina in Hackney, served as his primary residence.

Tax lawyer Dan Neidle said a boat incurs council tax when used as a person's "sole or main residence."

Neidle, who has probed the tax affairs of several politicians, examined Polanski's case and wrote on the Tax Policy Associates website this week: "If, as seems likely, that was his main residence, then Mr Polanski and his partner should have paid council tax there."

The Times reported last week that Polanski may not have paid council tax on the boat for the past three years.

The newspaper said it viewed a sales ad for the boat in which Polanski's partner stated: "We are moving house and so will sadly be leaving the gorgeous community behind."

The Green Party told The Times that Polanski rented a room at another London address where council tax was covered in his rent. Party officials said he stayed on the boat only "occasionally."

The Times noted, however, that Polanski and his partner "appear in recent years to have stayed on a narrowboat at a marina." A local laundrette reported doing laundry for them from 2023 to 2025.

Polanski and others with boats at the marina used a nearby building as a postal address. The Mail reported he was registered to vote there.

When the BBC sought clarification on Polanski's residence and council tax payments, a party spokesperson replied: "Until relatively recently, Zack was living on a houseboat, which came with its own unique practical circumstances and considerations."