Newham Mayor takes freebie trip

Tony Blair's favourite London council leader and his colleagues are to jet off to America to pick up tips on how to run their patch.

Sir Robin Wales, directly elected mayor of Newham - the third most deprived borough in England and Wales - will travel to Washington and Philadelphia on 11 August for a six-day fact-finding expedition.

He will be joined by Labour councillors and Newham officials. The trip is being sponsored by the US Embassy but Newham, where unemployment is three times the London average, will foot the £3,892 bill for the air fares.

Sir Robin, who runs his authority as a New Labour flagship and has been leading the opposition of London boroughs to giving staff a six per cent pay rise, said the trip would be "extremely useful".

He said: "It will give us the chance to see at first hand how US mayors run local services. We'll also be interested to learn about the approach to welfare and community relations, especially among young people."

Joining him on the trip are Labour councillors Christine Bowden, Megan Harris and Tony McAlmont, plus Newham's director of housing Chris Wood, policy chief Martin Lewis and head of communication Ian Tompkins.

Several of the party will extend their stay and will take private holidays after completing the official visit.

Mr Tompkins said each of the party would be given $160 (£100) a day by the US Embassy to cover accommodation and food. The cost of the air fares would be reimbursed to the council by senior officers making speeches to businesses. Almost £2,000 had already been raised this way, he said. The council had initiallyplanned becoming "penpals" with US councils but Ms Harris, who works for the embassy, helped set up the trip.

The itinerary is still being finalised, but is likely to include the US Conference of Mayors and meeting heads of cities and counties in the states of Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania.

Mr Tompkins said: "While we are in America the trip is being totally funded by the US Embassy. We called the embassy and asked for the names of contact organisations. They said, 'Hang on, we will invite you to come as our guests'.

"We explained what Newham is about and tried to get them to mirror it. We will be seeing other multiracial communities with different challenges.

"It's very much a learning thing. We would hope this might then become the start of a exchange programme that will involve local residents."

?Newham council's controversial hire of a hospitality box at West Ham has been scrapped.

The council's executive has decided to abandon the trial hire of the box at the football club's Upton Park ground.

It cost £12,000 to run from January to May this year plus £2,500 on food and drink.

Instead Newham is to take up an offer from West Ham of a free box for the new season for residents and schoolchildren. The council will only pick up the food and drink bill, estimated at £5,000.

The box, in the club's new Dr Martens stand, can hold 10 people. Newham will set up a panel to decide who gets tickets.

A report to the executive said: "The attendance of [council] members is to be kept to a minimum, as before."

It revealed Sir Robin only attended four of the 10 games the box was in use for last season.

Sir Robin, who comes from Ayrshire in Scotland, is a Kilmarnock fan.