YORK’S community stadium project has been thrown into further disarray – with the future of York City Knights Rugby League Club also now in doubt.

Knights owner John Guildford has quit the project board, claiming it had done nothing but waste taxpayers’ money.

And he has warned if the rugby club does not get cast-iron assurances from City of York Council before the new year over where it will play in 2012, then next season could be its last.

The Knights currently sublet Huntington Stadium from Nuffield Leisure, which leases it from the council. Both leases expire in 2012, and that stadium might be used as a bargaining chip for any new development.

Coun Steve Galloway, the council’s executive member for city strategy, said he could see “no reason” why the Knights would not have a venue to play at while the drive to create the new arena continued.

But Mr Guildford wants such assurances to be legally binding.

Only on Monday night, the Knights, including Mr Guildford, were enjoying a civic ceremony with the Lord Mayor of York, Coun Sue Galloway, to celebrate the club’s promotion to the second tier of professional rugby league.

But yesterday Mr Guildford sent a letter to the council executive demanding it spend no more cash on the project unless there were guarantees the Knights would be able to stay at Huntington Stadium or ground-share at York City Football Club’s Bootham Crescent until both clubs moved into the proposed new stadium.

Mr Guildford said in his letter: “Please ensure that City of York Council, York City and York City Knights have a binding agreement before the executives give any further instruction to spend any more of the taxpayers’ money. Also, the Knights need certainty they will always have a home in the event the new stadium does not materialise and if Nuffield does not extend its lease. If the Knights don’t have an agreement in place by December 31, 2010, then we will have to inform the Rugby Football League we do not have a secure tenure and will therefore be terminating our membership and closing the club down (at the end of 2011).”

Council boss moves to allay Knights’ fears

YORK’S city strategy chief Coun Steve Galloway attempted to ease John Guildford’s fears.

He said: “We have always said to the rugby club that a key part of the project would be to guarantee they had continuity of use of Huntington Stadium while the project was under way, and I can see no reason why they should not be operating there for the next two seasons.

“The plan was, and is, that they would then spend a season ground-sharing at Bootham Crescent before moving into the new stadium.

“We welcome Mr Guildford taking the opportunity to make his position clear. But I am in a position to reaffirm what has already been offered to him.”

The stadium’s project board will now be replaced by a cross-party advisory group, including input from the rugby and football clubs and other partners.

Labour group leader Coun James Alexander, said: “This puts pressure on the executive to get the project moving and it has my support in doing so as long as it is credible and has genuine community facilities.

“If this is not fulfilled, I fear inaction will lead to the demise of the Knights and York City.

“The executive has created a culture of distrust and secrecy on this project which is not conducive to the partnership working in a way required for it to be a success.”