Zack Polanski has been cleared in a City Hall investigation over claims he failed to pay council tax while living on a London houseboat, but still faces a local authority probe.
The Green Party leader suggested “financial hardship” linked to his “unconventional housing arrangements” meant he had not made the payments.
Mr Polanski has been under pressure to explain whether the narrowboat moored in the marina at Lee Valley Park had been his primary residence for three years and liable for an up to £4,000 bill to Waltham Forest town hall.
The Greater London Authority (GLA) launched a probe last month after receiving two complaints that Mr Polanski may have broken the authority’s code of conduct.
But on Thursday the GLA’s monitoring officer Rory McKenna said “no further action” would be taken.
The officer said whether or not Mr Polanski owes money to the local authority is still “subject to investigation by the London Borough of Waltham Forest” but he did not consider the personal liability “was meaningfully connected with his participation in decisions that could affect the overall level of council tax”.
“The decisions in which he took part were to set the GLA’s annual council tax requirement: those decisions had no bearing on the question of whether he was personally liable for council tax in respect of the houseboat.,” Mr McKenna said in his report.
“The situation might have been different had Mr Polanski owed arrears of council tax at the time of participating in those decisions. However, as I have previously advised the GLA, Mr Polanski was not subject to the exclusion from voting on council tax matters because he did not owe any arrears of council tax at the time of casting his votes.
“Whether he does owe council tax, and if so how much, are currently subject to investigation by the London Borough of Waltham Forest and so are yet to be determined.”
A GLA spokesperson added: "The GLA’s monitoring officer has concluded his initial assessment and found that there has not been a breach of the Code of Conduct and that no further action will be taken"
In his witness statement, Mr Polanski said: “I have personal experience of financial hardship and housing insecurity.
“Having lived through periods of economic difficulty on a limited income, I understand first-hand the challenges faced by many Londoners.
“My previous living arrangements reflected those circumstances rather than any attempt to avoid financial obligations.
“Whilst I accept that greater care could have been taken in understanding the practical implications of my unconventional housing arrangements, I strongly refute suggestions that my honesty or integrity should be called into question.”
Waltham Forest Council, which the Green Party seized control of at the local elections on May 7, has said it is “making assessments and taking legal advice on several complex factors unique to moorings” at the marina in the Lee Valley Park.
Conservative member of the London Assembly Neil Garratt had asked City Hall to look into whether Mr Polanski has breached conduct rules and requested the authority formally investigate the claims.
In a letter outlining his complaint, Mr Garratt asked for an assessment of whether Mr Polanski might have breached the GLA Code of Conduct.
He 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.”
A spokesperson for Mr Polanski said: “The monitoring officer for the Greater London Authority has conducted an independent inquiry into the complaints made against Mr Polanski and decided to take no further action. We therefore consider this matter closed.”
