It could be Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and hello Elton John Avenue if Harrow Council has its way.

Mandrake hears that the pop star's fans on the council are already pushing ahead with a scheme to name a road after the musician in response to a call from a government thinktank for councils to celebrate local heroes.

"I saw Sir Elton in Las Vegas earlier this year and thought he was wonderful," says Susan Hill, the council's deputy leader. "He is a real showman. He came from humble beginnings and it shows that if you have talent and drive you can become as famous as him."

The issue will be decided early in the New Year at a meeting of the full council, but it is likely the councillors will first consult Sir Elton about utilising his stage name in this way. Certainly Sir Elton John Road might have more of a buzz about it than Pinner Hill Road where he lived until the age of 11.

The New Local Government Network thinktank is pressing local councils to come up with more inspiring names for roads. London Fire Brigade has, however, issued guidelines saying it prefers streets to have only one name because otherwise their men can get confused when racing to fires. Thus there is a Major Close in Brixton named after Sir John Major, which is, poignantly, a cul-de-sac.

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