CITY of York Council has been accused of breaching procurement laws over the proposed community stadium - as a senior councillor said the project could not come at any price and alternative options should be investigated.

The executive considered the Monks Cross scheme on Wednesday night, just two days after it emerged that the main building contractor had pulled out.

The authority is also awaiting the crucial outcome of a High Court judicial review hearing next month into a council decision to grant permission for a larger cinema alongside the stadium than was originally agreed.

Local governance campaigner Gwen Swinburn listed nine reasons why, after carrying out research, she believed the project breached UK and EU procurement laws.

These included the use of a competitive dialogue procedure under 2006 public contracts legislation, under which negotiations were not allowed after the tender was received, bar minor tweaks. “There are multiple material changes from the final submitted tender,” she claimed.

“As the council has reserved the right to cancel or suspend the procurement at any time, with no liability for any costs, I am asking that you investigate my conclusions and if proved correct, cancel the procurement and start again," she said.

Council leader David Carr said her claims would be investigated and Lib Dem leisure executive member Nigel Ayre said he would look into them himself.

But he also said external auditors had concluded the procurement process was well run, the scheme would have many community benefits and all the challenges could be overcome.

However, Tory coalition colleague Ian Gillies said that while he was not calling for the stadium project to be abandoned, he felt it “cannot come at any price.”

He said the council should keep open - and investigate - other options, such as a 'plan b' - buying and redeveloping York City’s ground, Bootham Crescent, adding: “We have to have a reality check.”

Independent councillor Mark Warters called for the stadium scheme to be scrapped, the land sold for housing and retail and Bootham Crescent to be bought and re-developed for both of the city's professional clubs.