POLITICAL rivals have teamed up to put controversial plans to sell part of a York coach and car park under fresh scrutiny.

City of York Council’s ruling Labour cabinet has sent five options for the future of the Union Terrace site out for public consultation after an attempt by the authority’s Liberal Democrat group to force a withdrawal of the sale to York St John University for a campus expansion was blocked.

But Liberal Democrat leader Coun Carol Runciman, her Conservative counterpart Coun Ian Gillies and independent councillor Mark Warters have “called in” the decision for discussion by the council’s scrutiny management committee, which will decide whether it should be referred back to the cabinet for possible reconsideration.

The options all involve selling part of the site but retaining between 20 and 34 coach spaces and some accessible car-parking.

Council officers say the university expansion would draw between 1,000 and 1,500 extra students to the city, create up to 200 new jobs and inject £31 million a year into the city’s economy.

The call-in claims the public consultation, which runs until September 16, would not be “meaningful” and should include a no-sale option.

A petition opposing the sale received 22,248 signatures.

“Labour can claim they are consulting on five different options, but they are just five different variants of the same option,” said Coun Runciman.

“Each proposal involves selling part of the site and people responding to the consultation aren’t going to be given the chance to say no part of the car or coach park should be sold at all. It makes a mockery of so-called consultation, and if Labour don’t want to listen, they shouldn’t be wasting everybody’s time.”

Coun Julie Gunnell, cabinet member for corporate services, said: “Councillors have already had a full council meeting devoted entirely to this one issue, as well as a cabinet meeting where both the public and opposition members had the opportunity to give their views.

“It’s crucial Gillygate traders have a direct input into the consultation process and we have called for a traders’ forum to be set up with them, York St John University and other businesses to work together on proposals for mutual benefit. The Lib Dems and Conservatives need to take into account the whole of the city in terms of economic growth, education, training and employment.”