Redbridge Council is hoping to sweep away the competition after it was shortlisted as a finalist for a prestigious award focusing on street scene services.

This week the Association for Public Sector Excellence (APSE) announced Redbridge is in the running for the best service team of the year 2019.

The award nomination is a huge boost for the council and comes off the back of a recent audit by Keep Britain Tidy which revealed the borough has reduced the amount of on-street litter by around a third over the past year.

The local authority also reached the final few for its successful implementation of the new neighbourhoods team to deliver the council's Our Streets strategy.

In 2018, street-based services on the ground (such as cleansing and enforcement) were joined up into neighbourhood teams so that the council can keep streets clean by stopping littering and fly-tipping before it happens, and respond quickly when it does.

Leader of the council Cllr Jas Athwal said the local authority is making "great headway" in creating a cleaner, greener and safer borough for those living and working in Redbridge, and the national award nomination "is testament to that".

"We're honoured to be in the running for this award but recognise this is just the start, and there is more to be done," he said.

"We are committed to continuing to develop, improve and invest in our street cleaning services, and community engagement work to encourage local people to also take ownership of the places where they live.

"We can all play our part to improve our environment and make our home cleaner and greener in the future."

As part of its commitment to developing the service and continuing to make strides in keeping the borough clean and green, the council revealed it will also be investing a further £1million into street cleaning, enforcement and education.

The APSE awards are designed to recognise excellence in local government frontline services across the UK and are open to all local authorities and their public sector partners.

The winners will be announced on Thursday, September 12, at an awards ceremony being held in the Civic Centre, Newcastle.