Westminster Council s new chief has wowed to clean up the borough s streets ahead of the 2012 London Olympics. Colin Barrow, who replaced Sir Simon Milton as leader in June, has pledged to reclaim the streets and make them more attractive to residents an

Westminster Council's new chief has wowed to clean up the borough's streets ahead of the 2012 London Olympics.

Colin Barrow, who replaced Sir Simon Milton as leader in June, has pledged to reclaim the streets and make them more attractive to residents and tourists. Cllr Barrow said he would come down hard on utility companies which failed to leave the streets in a tidy state after carrying out work.

And to ensure they will be fit for a world-class Olympic city, Cllr Barrow is creating a Westminster Standard for streets to be brought up.

He said: "I'm sure that I am not alone in my annoyance at the little bits of debris on our streets that are left behind as utility companies go about making repairs.

"Traffic cones, bits of barriers, rubbish, pencilled scribbles on our pavements - not big things - but mess that detracts from the beauty of our city. We will not add to this and will not tolerate it.

"We are going to start work to reclaim our streets to make them smarter, more accessible and more attractive. We're going to set a Westminster Standard for streets.

"We will take away unwanted and unneeded signs, obstructions and materials. We will challenge the utility companies to do their work more quickly and leave the streets they disturb in as good a state as they found them."

Through a family recovery programme, Cllr Barrow said he was determined to make Westminster a city of equal opportunity and would aim to improve housing, education and community spirit in the borough.

As part of the council's One City programme, an education commission will be established to help raise the standard of Westminster's schools, while the leader wants social housing to be inspirational in 10 years' time.

Cllr Barrow added: "I have committed us to work with amenity societies and the voluntary sector to recruit volunteers across Westminster who will support our communities and those young people on the periphery of our society.

"I want every Westminster resident to be treated exactly the same regardless of ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or age.

"That is why I am going to work with my colleagues at the council to create a culture in which we value and respect what the citizen adds to society, not the demands those citizens make of everyone else.