CITY of York Council have launched a scathing attack on York City Knights chairman John Guildford - making it clear the homeless rugby league club will not be involved in the community stadium if he remains at the helm.

Sarah Tanburn, the council's interim director for city and environmental services, says the local authority "no longer has confidence in the working relationship with Mr Guildford so is unable to enter back into negotiations with him on the community stadium development".

She claims Guildford’s actions have "taken up valuable time and additional resource, at great unnecessary cost to the council and therefore the taxpayers of York, besides risking the development of the stadium itself".

Guildford - the Knights' majority shareholder since professional rugby league was relaunched in the city just months after the demise of York Wasps in 2002 - quickly hit back, saying the council's statement confirmed his suspicions that there was a conspiracy to force him to sell his club to York City.

The football club have also said they will not deal with the rugby club supremo.

This major development in the community stadium saga effectively confirms the Knights as homeless after their lease of Huntington Stadium was ended in order for that ground to be redeveloped to house both themselves and City.

The plan had been for the Knights to temporarily share City's Bootham Crescent ground and train at York St John University's Haxby Road facility, but Guildford recently said he could not sign up to that agreement after the council, having previously assured the club of a home until the new stadium was built, then offered only a two-year guaranteed stay. He said he feared the rugby club could become homeless if the project, already beset by problems and yet to get planning permission, was not completed by then.

The council withdrew from negotiations, citing a legal dispute, and has said the rugby club can not now play at City's ground or train at St John University as part of the project.

The Knights have already had to switch their first friendly of pre-season, against Hull this Sunday, to Doncaster's Keepmoat Stadium.

In her statement, Tanburn said: "The council remains strongly committed to the success of professional rugby league in York and the use of the stadium for both rugby league and football. It is with deep regret that the council finds it no longer has confidence in the working relationship with Mr Guildford so is unable to enter back into negotiations with him on the community stadium development.

"We share fans’, players’ and staff’s disappointment and frustration that an agreement could not be reached with Mr Guildford during the last two years."

She claimed Guildford had:

  • used numerous threats of litigation and formal legal process in an attempt to better his terms 
  • lodged objections to planning submissions impeding the project’s progress 
  • made a number of serious – and unfounded – allegations towards both the authority and individual staff members
  • made a series of misleading statements via the media.

York Press:

Tanburn added that agreements previously reached had offered the Knights a "fantastic range of facilities and secured a commercially sustainable future for the Knights" and that Guildford had agreed to them in September 2014 but did not sign the agreements, "seeking further improvement of his position".

She stated: "He then used formal legal process to contest his vacation from the bar at Huntington Stadium in another attempt to improve his position. At this stage the council was forced to withdraw from negotiations to protect the financial and legal interests of the council."

She said Guildford, as of December 16, had withdrawn allegations made recently against the council but added: "Given the frequent threats, change of position and brinksmanship, we no longer have the necessary confidence in the working relationship with Mr Guildford to enable negotiations with him.

"Mr Guildford’s actions over the last two years have taken up valuable time and additional resource, at great unnecessary cost to the council and therefore the taxpayers of York, besides risking the development of the stadium itself.

"We have taken the decision therefore to move forward with the project without Mr Guildford’s involvement."

Responding to the council's statement, Guildford said: "It is very disappointing to hear this through The Press, but it is not surprising.

"This has confirmed my original concerns that there is a conspiracy to try to get ownership of York City Knights to York City Football Club.

"Tim Atkins, the project manager, has suggested on a number of occasions that I sell to Jason McGill (City chairman) so this appears to be the council's objective.

"There is only ever reference to me as club owner, not to York City Knights. I will speak to my legal advisors and take legal advice regarding the allegations in the council's statement."

Sophie McGill, City's community and communications director, said: "Following a meeting of the York City board to discuss the issue, we have reached the conclusion that, like City of York Council, we also no longer have confidence in a working relationship with John Guildford.

"We have always planned for York City Knights to play at Bootham Crescent and this is still our position. However, we are only willing to look at this option further if York City Knights are under different ownership."

>>> Click here to read the full City of York Council statement