YORK looks set to lose its status as a major Army Division headquarters - several years before Imphal barracks was originally due to close.

The MOD has confirmed that the 1st (UK) Division - one of just three divisions in the British Army - will move from its current HQ in York to Catterick in 2028.

The Army says that the move will secure the future of Catterick.

But it leaves York's future as an important Army garrison city uncertain.

An Army spokesman stressed that two Brigades would be moving their HQs to York in the next few years: the 102 Operational Sustainment Brigade, a logistics brigade which supports troops in deployment; and a new territorial brigade, still in the process of being created, which will be named 19 Brigade.

York will also remain as the HQ of 2 Signals Regiment, at least for the time being.

But York central MP Rachael Maskell said by moving the HQ of 1st (UK) Division to Catterick in 2028, the MOD would be reneging on a commitment that York would remain a major army centre. "The government has gone back on their word to our city," she said.

She pointed out that 102 Operational Sustainment Brigade would be in York for only a short time, before also moving to Catterick.

And she warned that the reorganisation looked suspiciously like the Army trying to bring forward the date at which Imphal Barracks would close.

That, she said, had originally been scheduled for 2031. "Then that became 2030, and now it seems that they have moved that forward to 2028. They keep moving the goalposts."

The Army spokesperson was unable to confirm a definitive date for the closure of Imphal - or of the Queen Elizabeth Barracks in Strensall, HQ of the 2nd Medical Brigade. That was originally scheduled to close in 2021 before the date was pushed back to 2024.

The announcement comes as military personnel begin helping to tackle a Covid-related staffing crisis at the Yorkshire Ambulance Service - underlining the important part they play in local communities.

Former York MP Sir Hugh Bayley, who campaigned to keep York as a garrison city, said he was 'sad and surprised' to hear that the 1st (UK) Division would be moving to Catterick.

It was vitally important that the Army kept in touch with civilian life, he said. "And that is easier when important command units are based in a city like York than in a camp like Catterick."

Ms Maskell said she believed the closure of Imphal was being accelerated - ignoring York's proud tradition as an important military town."We're an old garrison city with a proud tradition that goes back to Roman times," she said. "The armed forces have always played an integral part in the city's culture and public life."

But she stressed she would continue to push for York to retain an important military presence.

The Army seemed determined to push ahead with the sale of its urban military bases, she said. "But it has not happened yet. I am continuing to push government to ensure that York remains a garrison city."

City of York Council leader Keith Aspden said he would also prefer the Government to 'think again about its decision'.

But if the move went ahead, he said, the council would work with the MOD to 'manage the impact of the future closure of the Imphal Barracks and ultimately, achieve the best possible outcome for the local community'.