The Queen's Golden Jubilee IS to be celebrated in Brighton and Hove - with events that would have taken place anyway.

The Argus revealed on Wednesday how Brighton and Hove City Council was snubbing the Monarch because it hadn't planned any events to mark the 50th anniversary of her accession to the throne.

Now the council has come up with three "initiatives", including a baton relay, flower planting and "preparing to support" street parties.

The attempted about-face has drawn a fresh wave of protest.

Tory councillor Geoffrey Theobald said: "The council are fools to ignore the Jubilee. It spent well over £100,000 to get city status and to ignore the Monarch after that is an insult.

"The baton relay and the planting of hanging baskets would have taken place anyway, mostly paid for by the traders in the city.

"The council is just clutching at straws in an effort to try to save face because nothing special is, or has been, arranged."

Tory Opposition leader Brian Oxley said the baton relay, sponsored by chocolate firm Cadbury, was not even a council organised event.

He said: "The council is supposed to encourage economic and social well-being and I can't think of a better way of doing this than by encouraging residents to celebrate Her Majesty's 50 years as Queen.

"The reason the council seems to be ignoring the Golden Jubilee is because it does not fit into its ideological priorities."

Mid Sussex Tory MP Nicholas Soames said: "Brighton and Hove City Council spent thousands trying to gain city status and a Royal Charter.

"It seems pretty ungracious it is now doing nothing to celebrate the Golden Jubilee."

Liberal Democrat group leader Paul Elgood said: "The baton relay is a national event, which just happens to be passing through the city.

"The floral clock is always planted for the summer and we always have hanging baskets. Basically this council is doing nothing."

The council announced it intended to write to the Queen through her local representative, Lord Lieutenant of East Sussex Phyllida Stewart-Roberts.

A statement said: "We ARE staging Jubilee celebrations, Ma'am.

"Brighton and Hove City Council is to write to the Queen's representatives in Sussex asking her to ignore reports about the city supposedly 'snubbing' the Golden Jubilee.

"The council says it is worried people would have been needlessly upset by the reports, which it insists are grossly unfair.

"The council is stressing it was already planning three initiatives in connection with the celebrations. More are likely to be added as part of the 2002 Year of Culture, showcasing the bid for European Capital of Culture in 2008."

The initiatives were: Taking part in the Queen's Jubilee Baton Relay, where local heroes help carry a baton around the country before delivering it to the Commonwealth Games on July 25; a city-wide programme in June of planting flowers in the Jubilee colours of gold and purple, including 500 hanging baskets and Hove floral clock; and preparing to support dozens of street parties and other events organised by community groups.

These would involve lots of work for officials and waiving usual charges.

Executive councillor for culture Ian Duncan said: "We are concerned the Palace or the Queen's representatives might get to hear these reports and take them seriously.

"Comments certain people have made have been designed to make us look ungrateful for city status and mean-spirited and we're very upset about it.

"We are not snubbing the Queen because the Palace is not asking councils to stage events. Official advice suggests communities organise events and provides a checklist of things they should ask councils to help with.

"We urge anyone who wants to organise an event to get in touch as soon as possible."

The council's stance is in marked contrast to that of others, such as Worthing and Eastbourne, which have announced plans to help organise a series of glittering events.

In Worthing, the borough council is joining with businesses to put on a day of celebration costing £12,000 to mark the occasion.

In Eastbourne, a huge seafront party will take place with fireworks and live music.

Smaller authorities are also planning celebrations. Catsfield Parish Council is planning three days of events.

A Brighton and Hove City Council spokesman said: "We're not in a position to divert large sums of new money to celebrations but one or more of the planned Year of Culture events will be given a Jubilee flavour.

"We're also working on another very nice Jubilee commemoration which we hope to say more about soon."

A council spokeswoman today insisted the Queen was aware of how pleased Brighton and Hove was at being made a city, thanks to a lavish reception held for her last spring.

She dismissed as "misleading" Coun Theobald's claim that the council had spent well over £100,000 on getting city status, saying the bid itself cost only £25,000.

She said Coun Theobald's figure included cash for millennium celebrations, such as a party for 50,000 people on the Old Steine.

She said council chief executive David Panter would meet the Lord Lieutenant on Monday to discuss the Jubilee.