A North London council has come under fire for asking residents to clean their own streets in preparation for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee in June.

Brent Council has encouraged people to take advantage of free litter picking equipment being handed out for ‘community clean up’ events between May 27 and June 17.

The initiative is a spin-off of ‘The Great British Spring Clean’ – an annual campaign aimed at promoting local pride in neighbourhoods across the country. But some have suggested this is an attempt by the council to shift responsibility onto residents rather than managing its own resources.

Liberal Democrat councillor Anton Georgiou said: “Whilst I welcome encouraging residents to get involved in clean up efforts in our local area, it does feel like the council is shirking responsibility here.

“We need a comprehensive plan to resolve the littering issues in Brent that have got out of hand under this Labour administration. Our borough shouldn’t just be a cleaner, greener place for the Jubilee weekend, this should be the case all year round.”

He added more bins should be made available along Brent’s streets and in its parks and called on the council to consider introducing more regular collections to tackle littering and fly-tipping.

The council has insisted it will continue to carry out its regular street cleaning regimes and sees this as an opportunity to instil community spirit in its neighbourhoods.

Cllr Muhammed Butt, leader of Brent Council, said: “Brent Council is proud that so many people take pride in their local area and that we are part of the Keep Britain Tidy campaign to mobilise this positive energy. It is great to see that so many people want to help us to keep areas clean and tidy.

“The council and its key workers who go out every day, rain or shine, making a positive difference to our streets truly appreciate the support from residents and the message it sends out, that we love Brent and we want to keep Brent clean and safe for everyone.