By donning a hi-vis vest and seizing a litter-picker for a photo opportunity, Justice Secretary Michael Gove hoped to inspire an army of Britons to “Clean for the Queen” when he launched the scheme at the House of Commons in February.
Mayor Richard Greening kicked off proceedings in Islington on Friday 4 March by launching the “Big Clean Weekend” at Vincent Terrace, a beauty spot beside Regent’s Canal.
The plans were billed as “an anti-litter campaign to clean up the UK in time for The Queen’s 90th birthday”.
But judging by the photos of the beauty spot, taken just two days later, Islington residents did not take the scheme to heart.
The canal path was still strewn with rubbish and covered in graffiti.
Councillor Paul Convery said: “I saw Michael Gove doing a daft PR stunt, and I just thought ‘what a plonker’. If anything, it’s a bit naff”.
“I’m all in favour of people keeping our places clean as possible– I pick up litter if I walk out the front door, I wouldn’t say I’m doing it for the monarch.
“At the moment, the council does 95 per cent of all cleaning around. If the extra 5 per cent was done by volunteers, that would be good.”
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