MORE political heavyweights have joined in the community stadium wrangle in attempts to get City of York Council back round the table with York City Knights.

Former council leader Andrew Waller said assurances he previously provided to the rugby league club are being undermined by the current regime, while, according to Knights chairman John Guildford, the Lord Mayor, Cllr Ian Gillies, has asked the parties to reopen talks.

Cllr Waller says he is also trying to arrange mediation between club and council chiefs before the situation “gets even more out of hand”, arguing it is “ridiculous” the Knights have been made homeless and are having to play home matches outside of the city - starting with this Sunday’s friendly against Hull at Doncaster.

Waller, the Lib-Dem politician who was re-elected in the Westfield by-election in October, led the council between May 2008 and May 2011, during which time he was involved in the community stadium talks.

“As a former leader of the council I was involved in giving assurances that the rugby league club would not be left homeless,” said Waller.

“I’m now working to try to get a mediation meeting arranged. We do wonder why it has sunk to this point.

“We’re trying to bring the parties around the table before it gets even more out of hand. Having to play outside of the city is ridiculous.”

The council withdrew from its community stadium negotiations with the Knights late last year, with Sarah Tanburn, the interim director for city and environmental services, this week launching a scathing attack on Guildford while saying they would work with him no longer.

The club, whose lease of the council-owned Huntington Stadium was ended so it could be redeveloped to house both them and York City, now cannot temporarily play at City’s Bootham Crescent ground as had been planned nor will they be allowed into the new stadium.

“I was shocked with the strength of the statement from a council officer relating to this,” said Waller, echoing views of another former council leader, Steve Galloway.

“In the 20 years I’ve been involved in local government, I’ve never seen a statement like that (from a council officer).

“It was unusual for a project that was supposedly close to completion to have one of the key partners ejected. It does raise concerns.

“Did the leader of the council (Coun Dafydd Williams) know about and agree to the content of that statement or was it made without his knowledge? I would be astonished if it had not been approved.

“I think it’s astonishing that something would be issued with that tone."

Guildford said: “The Lord Mayor has contacted us to ask if we would be happy to attend a meeting between the council, the football club and ourselves, with him being a mediator, a chair of the meeting, just around the table with no lawyers, just to get this back onto what it was really about - a community stadium for both clubs.

“I’ve said ‘yes I definitely would attend’ and now we’re waiting for replies from the council and the football club.