AMBITIOUS plans to shake up leisure services and make York a City Of Festivals have been given the green light - but at the cost of a council officer's job.

City council leisure chiefs have backed plans for York's arts service and culture and community development service to be restructured, moving the council towards a grassroots, community-based arts approach.

Community arts means projects are taken directly into local communities, with a major effort made to get residents interested and involved.

Last October, the council's executive member for leisure and heritage, Keith Orrell, approved the principle of setting up a community arts team, but the cash was not in the bank.

Now, various groups, including the Arts Council England (Yorkshire), have put more than £120,000 towards the new approach, with the council putting in the same amount.

One community arts priority is to make York a City Of Festivals, with high-profile events all year round.

But part of the department restructuring means that one job will go, a point picked up by Labour councillors at last night's meeting of the executive member for leisure and heritage and advisory panel.

Alan Jones, shadow executive member for leisure and heritage, said he strongly supported the community arts approach.

But he said he was concerned by the job loss and had considered voting against the restructuring plans.

Coun Jones said: "I wish the new service every success, community arts is the way to go. But it is a shame about one of our officers, I hope we can sort that out."

Christopher Hogg, the committee's Liberal Democrat chairman, also said he was concerned that the job could go.

"That is one of the problems of restructuring, people will suffer," Coun Hogg said.

Charlie Croft, the council's head of lifelong leisure and learning, said staff would work with leading arts and leisure group York@Large to set up a festivals office.

Earlier this month York@Large threw its support behind the City Of Festivals bid.

The festivals would be linked to York's economy and economic aims, such as Science City York's Discovery festival, Mr Croft added.

Updated: 11:11 Tuesday, April 20, 2004