One of Oxford's most deprived housing estates wants to link up with a notorious New York suburb in a bid to improve residents' living standards.

The 13,500 population of Blackbird Leys and Greater Leys will share ideas, values and tactics for improving the estate with the mean streets of the borough of Brooklyn, famous for producing former world boxing champion Mike Tyson, if the idea comes to fruition.

Blackbird Leys Parish Council is hoping to begin the legal process for twinning, which could see both areas jointly tackle issues of social deprivation, unemployment, crime and litter.

The council has promised the adventure will not net its members trips to the Big Apple at taxpayers' expense, but would be an expression of friendship.

Vice chairman Bob Avery visited Brooklyn on holiday last month on a fact-finding mission to look into enforcement of fines and penalties on fly-tippers and litter-bugs.

He said: "We have many things in common with Brooklyn. Although it's a lot bigger than Blackbird Leys, it's multi-cultural and multi-racial, has social housing, upmarket housing and middle class housing, which is what Blackbird Leys has. We share some of the same problems.

"Benefits include sharing a common aim, setting up links, learning from a similar environment and getting feedback. There's no cost to the taxpayer."

Mr Avery said he was planning to speak to Brooklyn's enforcement officer for sanitation, Todd Kuznitz, whom he met while he was in the US, this weekend, to get his views on the twinning.

He said: "I'm just waiting for a document to come through from the parish clerk, stating it's okay legally to go ahead with the twinning.

"Then I will have to contact the authorities in New York. Hopefully the twinning process won't take long."

Brian Lester, Blackbird Leys Parish Council's chairman, said: "It will tie in with our environmental scheme, as we're trying to get greater enforcement on litter, similar to Brooklyn.

"We don't want stormtroopers running around giving out tickets. We want people to take more responsibility for keeping the streets clean.

"We won't be looking for junkets to New York. It's more of a symbolic gesture.

"Oxford has twinned with Bonn and others, so why can't a borough twin with another borough.

"If Moss Side (in Manchester) was doing the same, then maybe we would twin with Moss Side."

Oxford is twinned with the German city of Bonn, Leiden in Holland, Perm in Russia, Grenoble in France, and Leon in Nicaragua.

Alan Pope, the chairman of the Oxford-Bonn Link set up in 1947, said: "Every opportunity we have of involving local people, especially those who wouldn't otherwise have the chance to travel abroad, is welcomed.

"We know from many stories that we've heard from people's twinning experiences that friends remain friends for life."

If the twinning scheme gets the go-ahead, ahead civic leaders from Brooklyn will be invited to Oxford on fact-finding missions.

Twinning began after the Second World War to promote friendship and understanding between British and German towns and cities.