Ministers have pledged to tackle litter, graffiti and the fear of crime in Britain's cities.

The commitment came at the government's two-day urban summit, which began in Birmingham on Thursday.

Deputy prime minister John Prescott opened the summit, which is being billed as the largest ever gathering of leading urban living experts.

The summit will hear from other senior members of the government to discuss key city issues such as housing, crime, the environment, transport and health.

The event is being given a "very high priority" by ministers and the focus will be on the familiar theme of improving joined-up government "from street level to local government".

With litter, graffiti and the fear of crime cited as the reasons people stay away from the nation's public spaces, a government report has called for a five-year improvement programme.

The social exclusion minister, Barbara Roche, said the government wanted public spaces that "local people are proud of and want to spend their time".

"Tackling failure, such as litter, graffiti, fly-tipping, abandoned cars, dog fouling, the loss of play areas or footpaths, is for many people the top public service priority," she added.

"Government can and will take the lead but the solutions will invariably be local. We need to give local leaders and decision-makers the power to get the job done."

Officials say the summit will mark the next stage in the deputy prime minister's drive for sustainable towns and cities and was a key part of the government's urban white paper.

Attending the event are a range of non-government groups and big names from the business world business.

"The event is about innovative thinking and the web is going to play a major role in making it a success," said a spokesman for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister.