Westminster brushes aside history of dirty tricks to win prize for clean streets
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Your support makes all the difference.Having endured years of political scandal involving cash-filled envelopes, marital infidelity and home loans, the political heart of Britain has officially cleaned up its act.
Westminster was named Britain's Cleanest City yesterday in honour of the praiseworthy state of its streets.
The British Cleaning Council (BCC), an industry body representing urban hygiene professionals, said Westminster City Council was "simply the best" in coping with the round-the-clock challenge of dealing with rubbish.
Judges said they were particularly impressed with the rapid clearance of "oceans of litter" left by mourners at the Queen Mother's funeral last April and the hundreds of thousands who celebrated the Queen's golden jubilee in June. The clean-up by the contractor, Onyx UK, "probably merited an award all of its own," they said.
The BCC, which represents a cleaning industry worth £12bn a year, said it was impressed with the way the council kept the main tourist areas and other high-profile streets "sparkling". Oxford Street was "probably the busiest shopping street in Britain, yet it managed to outshine all the others" the panel visited, a spokesman said.
The judges also praised the council's skill at clearing away more unpleasant waste. They noted "the more regular task of collecting and disposing of the 10,000 gallons of urine and vomit dumped each year on the West End by less congenial revellers [and] the valiant attempt to rid Oxford Street pavements of chewing gum, in a 'painting the Forth bridge' exercise which means that as soon as they finish the job, they need to start all over again".
The central London borough beat Bristol, Canterbury, Chester, Edinburgh, Lincoln, Newcastle upon Tyne, Plymouth, Truro, York and last year's winner, the City of London, in the contest.
Westminster signed a seven-year deal last year worth £224m with Onyx UK – the largest street-cleaning contract awarded so far by a local authority.
Judith Warner, who is responsible for street environment at the council, said the award was "a testament to our efforts to deliver clean streets despite the million-plus tourists and visitors who descend on Westminster every day."
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