Media Release from City of York Council Labour Group
Coun. James Alexander said:
"Blackpool's achievements are incredible for a town of only 140,000 people, and it just shows what is possible with the right vision and support. The club averaged around 7,500 attendances in the early to middle part of last season, and it is not impossible that York could attract gates of that number.
"Labour in York believes that the ambition of the club should not simply be about getting into the football league, but aiming even higher and seeking to emulate teams like Blackpool in their current level of success. The club was near the bottom of the football league only a matter of a few years ago, yet has managed to make it into one of the world's elite football leagues".
Labour's leisure spokesperson, Coun. Sonja Crisp said:
"We firmly believe that a new community stadium has a crucial part to play in continuing York City's improvement and ascent up the leagues. Revenue is a key issue and a new stadium would undoubtedly increase that revenue so the club has more money to spend on players. It has of course to live within its means, but that will be easier with increased attendances.
"There has been support right across the political spectrum with the Tories' then Shadow Culture spokesperson saying he would do what's possible to make a new stadium a reality. Parliamentary candidates for all the three main parties in the run up to the General Election also supported the stadium proposal in principle.
"Now their local parties need to formalise that commitment and show the city and both York City and York Knights that they are serious about this. They should also remember it is also about more than these two clubs; it is about other facilities that cannot be offered anywhere else in the city".
In the latest development on the plan to build the new stadium, it has emerged that there is no timetable in place for it to be delivered. This will only add to the level of uncertainty around the project, according to Coun. Alexander. He said:
"Those who are familiar with the planning system will know the risks that are involved when it comes to a timetable for delivery, but those risks should be factored into the process. What needs to happen is the finance and potential sites be identified, so that a formal process can get underway. But my instinct is the July Executive meeting will give a strong indication as to which way this authority wants to go - for or against building a community stadium for York.
"What I would say to other parties is the council has already gone part way down the road on this project. If it wasn't serious about it, it should never have committed so much money to feasibility work and a senior officer to deliver the vision.
"But Labour remains behind that vision and believes in it for the community element of the facility, as well as for it being a decent home for two of our professional sports teams to compete in".
