electoral rules. As mayor, Wales' council has come under heavy criticism for a £111m project to relocate council offices in a single Newham Dockside block, including £18.7m of design and refurbishment costs. An investigation by the BBC found this to include at least five items of designer lighting each costing over £1,800. Following the 2012 Olympics, Wales was criticised for proposing to invest £40m of the borough's money in a stake in the Olympic Stadium. In 2014, the mayor and council were in dispute with the Focus E15 campaign group, which complained about the lack of social housing within the borough. Wales later apologised to the Focus E15 families about the dispute. Ahead of the 2018 mayoral election, which could have seen Wales secure a fifth four-year term, Private Eye reported that Labour Party members from 20 wards in Newham had voted in November 2016 on whether any Labour candidate other than Wales should be allowed to stand in the election. A total of 424 members voted to allow other candidates to stand against Wales, while 351 voted for Wales being the only candidate allowed to stand. Following this vote, 17 Labour party affiliates such as trade union branches were allowed a vote in the question, with one affiliate's vote counting as equal to all of the members of one ward. Once the party affiliates' votes were added, the result was turned in favour of Wales being the only Labour candidate permitted to stand in the 2018 election. It was reported that some members were disgruntled at this process: for example, one affiliate was a trade union with one member who is a paid advisor to Wales, and that person's vote counted as equal to dozens of members of one ward. References https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/40m-for-stake-in-olympic-stadium-is-worthwhile-says-newham-mayor-8163006.html External links Newham Mayor website Official biography Newham Labour Party Website Sir Robin Wales (audio) interview Labour Party (UK) councillors Councillors in the London Borough of Newham Mayors of places in Greater London Politics of the London Borough of Newham Alumni of the University of Glasgow People from Kilmarnock Anglo-Scots Living people Knights Bachelor 1955 births 21st-century British politicians Labour Party (UK) mayors Politicians awarded knighthoods Leaders of local authorities of England