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How then do councils across the country issue exemption certificates to marinas?

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Except Waltham Forest council don't want boats without Houseboat Certificates to pay CT because of the liability it puts on them.

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I think you might have got it! Also if it was in the 80s it might have been poll tax rather than CT? Maggie's magic tax to stop people voting.

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Well I think they were probably on Houseboat Certificates, Polanski wasn't and that's why even now Waltham Forest council don't want his CT. There's more than a 1,000 live aboard boaters in their area and they don't want the liability for them.

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Except when the council don't want to accept CT because it makes them liable to rehouse people if their 12 month licence isn't renewed or the boat sinks. bsky.app/profile/padd...

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And do they have planning permission for residential use or are they non-residential pleasure moorings like the 195 at Springfield Marina?

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Except local authorities won't accept payment from boatowners unless they have a CRT Houseboat Certificate. Otherwise they are deemed responsible to rehouse them if the annual mooring license isn't renewed or the boat sinks.

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But what would I know? It was only my job when I was employed by the forerunner of the Canal and Rivers Trust for eight years to try to persuade London councils to grant planning permission for residential moorings.

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Green leader Zack Polanski faces investigation over London houseboat council tax

As I told you on your blog local councils don't want to take council tax from people living on boats that don't have planning permission for residential use. Because they don't want to be responsible for rehousing them if the mooring is terror boat sinks. www.standard.co.uk/news/politic...

standard.co.uk

Zack Polanski has come under pressure this week to explain whether the houseboat, moored at Springfield Marina in east London, had been his primary residence for three years

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FFS because like thousands of people who live on boats he doesn't know.

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Final contribution on this, the press office has obviously issued a vague statement which clearly states if he owes anything he'll pay it, the council have said something similar, the news cycle has moved on so the press office have no interest in fanning flames by issuing updates.

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I'm giving up with this discussion as you don't seem able to understand basic principles. By example it's about the 200 boats moored at the marina and the 1,000 boats elsewhere - you cannot apply a law to only one person.

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What part of "paid what was due" do you not understand? If the council accept this payment then there's 1000s of other people living on non-residential moorings that they will have to charge -“making assessments and taking legal advice on several complex factors unique to moorings” at the marina"

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They would if they had accepted council tax of him. In doing so they have recognised that someone is living on a boat in their borough and in not taken planning enforcement steps they have legitimised that use.

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No, the general assumption amongst most live aboard boaters is that they don't pay council tax. Mainly because as I have explained, the councils don't want to collect it and accept the liability to have to rehouse people.

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They have to renew their licence every year. As its a private (Lee Valley Parks) a mooring licence would be held alongside an appropriate licence from CRT - either for a houseboat (residential) or pleasure boat (non-residential)

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No it doesn't. It depends whether or not the boat had a houseboat licence issued by CRT, and even if it does whether or not the local authority have issued an exemption as the services are included in the marinas business rates. This was my job I know how it works.

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Green leader Zack Polanski faces investigation over London houseboat council tax

Only the local authority says otherwise "A town hall spokesman told the Telegraph: “For residential moorings in the marina, a statutory exemption for council tax would apply. However, we understand these are not residential moorings." www.standard.co.uk/news/politic...

standard.co.uk

Zack Polanski has come under pressure this week to explain whether the houseboat, moored at Springfield Marina in east London, had been his primary residence for three years

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The story broke over the weekend and by 7.30am Monday morning the Green Party released that statement on R4 Today, do you think that Waltham Forest council tax office works weekends? It's a catch all statement issued by someone who doesn't understand the system.

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It's complicated.....legally it can't be, but historically boats on residential moorings with Houseboat licenses have been transferred at a massive premium. Legally the landowner could refuse to renew at the end of the licence period. I would never risk it.

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Because this is such a complicated issue I genuinely think that most people don't know if anything tax is due, so the press office issue a bland "anything due has been paid". I only understand it as part of my job was creating more residential moorings in London - it wasn't easy!

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Springfield marina, like mos5 marinas, offer a maximum of a 12 month license. At the end of the period you can be asked to leave.

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But it does obligate the council to rehouse any vulnerable people whose boat is no longer habitable.

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If the owners of the 190 boats ask the Waltham Forest council to pay council tax for their non-residential mooring they will be refused. Do you think the council want to be responsible for rehousing 190 families?

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Dan's blog specifically states that one boat on the site was paying council tax, that will be one of the security boats on the site, if there's 200 boats there will probably be 10 houseboat licenses issued by CRT. ALL the other boats will be issued with non-residential cruising licenses.

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And Polanski’s mooring was non-residential.

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Dan said "Another narrowboat at the marina was at one point registered for council tax. Mr Polanski’s boat never was." This would be what's known as a "security boat". So there's 200 other boats in the marina not paying council tax g- most of which are being lived on.

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I was moored at Cumberland Basin in Regent's Park on a security mooring, neither Camden nor Westminster Council would accept payment from me for council tax as it would make them liable to rehouse me and my family if anything happened to my boat. How many boats do you think there are in London?

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I worked for the forerunner of CRT, so wasn't a novice either. Part of my role was to get planning permission for new residential moorings.

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Dan mentioned one other boat that had paid council tax - the security boat on a non-residential site. The site is not council owned but by Lee Valley Regional Park.

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He hasn't paid any overdue tax, reread what the Green Party press office said.

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There's literally thousands of non-residential narrowboats being used as houseboats around London. Don't confuse planning status with how a vessel is used.

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For this reason Local Authorities won't accept a request to register to pay council tax for any vessel that hasn't got PP from their Planning Dept. I know because I tried to do it in Camden and Westminster.

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Moorings are classed as residential or non-residential. Residential require Planning Permission from the local authority. Local Authorities don't want to grant PP as if the boat sinks they have a responsibility to rehouse the people.

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I think Polanski probably doesn't understand the practicalities of his situation - most live aboard boaters don't unless they have approached the council to pay. Most "non-residential" moorings have a couple of "security moorings" to provide 24hr cover - I was one at Cumberland in Regent's Park.

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Only local authorities won't allow "non-residential boats" to register for council tax, Only those with full planning permission and a houseboat licence. bsky.app/profile/padd...

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But what do you do when the local authority refuse to take your money?

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On moorings and in marinas the local authority will grant residential planing permission for one or two boats as "security boats". I actually lived on a security mooring in Regent's Park, the boundary between Camden and Westminster both councils refused to register me for poll tax.

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The local authority won't want to take it. bsky.app/profile/padd...

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