Even if I don't owe anything, I will still pay, because of the principle.
In the weeks surrounding London's local elections, Green Party leader Zack Polanski found himself caught between the ordinary disruptions of modern life — a house move, a missed deadline, the bureaucratic weight of anonymous registration — and the symbolic expectations that come with public leadership. His failure to cast a ballot in elections he had publicly pledged to support is less a story of hypocrisy than of how easily civic participation can slip through the cracks of circumstance, even for those who champion it most loudly. The episode has since widened into questions of council tax, houseboat residency, and the gap between how a life is lived and how it is officially recorded.
- Polanski publicly promised his vote to a Green mayoral candidate just eleven days before polling day — a promise he could not keep because his address was never updated on the electoral register after a chaotic house move.
- The party's initial explanation — that he had voted by post — unravelled quickly, forcing a correction that drew more scrutiny rather than less.
- Security concerns added a layer of genuine complexity: as a leader who has faced antisemitic and homophobic abuse, Polanski required anonymous registration, a process with additional steps that the deadline pressure made impossible to complete in time.
- A separate thread emerged around his former houseboat residence, where his partner had publicly described living for three years — complicating the party's account of where he had actually been based and whether council tax was owed.
- Waltham Forest council is now taking legal advice on the matter, navigating what it calls 'complex factors unique to moorings,' while Polanski has pledged to pay any outstanding tax on principle, regardless of legal obligation.
Zack Polanski, leader of the Green Party, did not vote in last week's London local elections — a fact confirmed by his party on Thursday. The explanation offered was practical: a recent house move had left him without a valid entry on the electoral register, and the deadline passed before he could update his address after relocating to rented accommodation.
The admission carried particular weight because, just eleven days before polling day, Polanski had recorded a video message for Green mayoral candidate Zoë Garbett in Hackney, telling her directly: 'you have my vote.' When the story emerged, the party's first account suggested he may have voted by post — a claim later walked back as a 'miscommunication,' which only deepened the questions surrounding the episode.
The fuller explanation involved both security and bureaucracy. Since becoming leader, Polanski has faced serious abuse, including antisemitic and homophobic harassment leading to two arrests. Registering anonymously — a legal option for those facing genuine threats — requires additional documentation and steps, and the combination of that process with the time pressure of his move proved insurmountable before the deadline.
A second strand of the story concerned where Polanski had actually been living. For a period, he had resided on a houseboat — described by his partner in a sales listing as 'our amazing home for three years.' The party later clarified he had been living primarily at a separate London address and used the boat only occasionally. Polanski acknowledged the confusion around his council tax, saying he had assumed mooring fees covered the obligation, and committed to paying whatever was owed — even if it turned out he had no legal liability — 'because of the principle.'
Waltham Forest council, in whose jurisdiction the marina sits, is now assessing the matter and seeking legal advice on what it described as 'complex factors unique to moorings.' The question of what is owed, and to whom, remains open — a tangle of administrative ambiguity that has come to define a story about a party leader who could not vote in his own city.
Zack Polanski, leader of the Green Party, did not cast a ballot in last week's local elections across London. The party confirmed this fact on Thursday, offering an explanation rooted in the practical chaos of moving house: he had not managed to update his address on the electoral register in time after relocating to rented accommodation when his original moving plans fell apart.
Just eleven days before polling day, Polanski had recorded a video message for Zoë Garbett, the Green Party's mayoral candidate in Hackney, telling her plainly: "you have my vote." The statement was public, direct, and unambiguous. When the story broke, the party's initial account to the Times suggested he might have voted by post from Hackney after being spotted campaigning in Wales on election day itself. That explanation, however, did not hold. The Green Party later told the BBC the postal vote claim had been a "miscommunication"—a correction that raised questions about what had actually happened and why.
The fuller picture, as the party laid it out, involved security and bureaucracy in equal measure. Since becoming leader, Polanski has faced what the party described as "heightened intrusion and safety risk," including antisemitic and homophobic abuse; two arrests have been made in connection with abuse directed at him. Registering to vote anonymously—a process available to those facing genuine threats—requires additional steps and documentation. Combined with the time pressure of his recent move, these factors created a barrier he could not clear before the registration deadline passed.
But the story did not end with the elections. Questions emerged about where Polanski had actually been living and whether he owed council tax. For some time, he had resided on a houseboat. His partner, in an advertisement selling the vessel, had described it as "our amazing home... for three years." When asked about this, the Green Party shifted its account: Polanski had been living in a room at a different London address, where he paid council tax, and had only used the boat "occasionally." Polanski himself acknowledged the confusion. "I thought I had been paying monthly mooring fees and I presumed the council tax would be included in that," he told broadcasters. He added that he took responsibility for clarifying his tax obligations and said he would pay what was owed, even if it turned out he did not legally owe anything, "because of the principle."
The houseboat sat in a marina under the jurisdiction of Waltham Forest borough council, the same authority where Polanski had last been registered to vote. The council is now assessing the matter and taking legal advice, grappling with what a spokesperson called "complex factors unique to moorings." The question of who owes what, and to whom, remains unsettled—a small but telling knot of administrative ambiguity at the heart of a story about a national party leader who could not vote in his own city.
Notable Quotes
I thought I had been paying monthly mooring fees and I presumed the council tax would be included in that. Even if it turns out I don't owe anything, I will still pay the appropriate amount, because of the principle.— Zack Polanski
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
So the Green Party leader says he couldn't vote because of a registration problem. But he'd just promised to vote for someone on camera. How does that happen?
He moved house and didn't get his address updated in time. The deadline passed. It's a real administrative gap, but it's also awkward because he'd made a public commitment just days before.
The party first said he voted by post from Wales. Then they said that was wrong. What actually happened?
They corrected themselves. He didn't vote at all. Whether it was a genuine mistake in their first account or just unclear communication, it undermined the credibility of the explanation.
I notice the council tax question. He lived on a boat but also in a flat. Which was his actual home?
That's what no one can quite pin down. The boat was advertised as their home for three years, but the party says he only stayed there occasionally and paid council tax elsewhere. Polanski himself seemed uncertain about what he owed.
Does he actually owe council tax on the boat?
That's what Waltham Forest Council is trying to figure out. Mooring regulations are apparently complicated enough that they need legal advice. But Polanski said he'd pay anyway, as a matter of principle.
Why does the security angle matter here?
Because registering to vote anonymously—which he apparently needed to do—requires extra steps. That's a real barrier, not an excuse. It's just that it collided with the moving deadline and created a perfect storm of complications.