YORK’S political chiefs have urged voters to choose “experience and achievement” as they unveiled their local election battle plan.

The Liberal Democrats, who boast the largest party presence on City of York Council and are aiming to extend their eight years in control on May 5, launched their manifesto yesterday with a visit from Care Services Minister Paul Burstow.

The Lib Dem vision is based around backing for businesses, protecting the Green Belt and improving services in the face of spending cuts.

It promises to help create about 200 new jobs and 30 companies through making Science City York a renewable energy technology centre, as well as delivering swifter broadband links and developing a solar power scheme to provide more roles in the building industry.

The party has also pledged to move the community stadium project forward, inject £1 million into the Leeman Road flood defence scheme in 2012/13, keep all the city’s libraries open, maintain expenditure on road repairs, expand the use of hi-tech health systems such as Telecare and support for people with learning disabilities, and improve recycling rates and old people’s homes.

The Lib Dems also vowed to continue lobbying for Government cash to create three new Park&Ride sites and electrify the York-Leeds rail link, as well as concentrating all future developments on brownfield land rather than the city’s green fringes.

Council leader Andrew Waller said: “In our eight years in office, we have turned around the city we inherited from Labour.

“We have developed a city where everybody is able to take pride in its appearance, there are high levels of employment, frontline services have been protected and great projects such as the Barbican and the Sports Village swimming pool have come to fruition. We have experience within our group and within the city, through working with businesses and voluntary groups, and that experience is something we will develop for the benefit of York.

“We are proud of our record, but it is important we do not stop here.” Mr Burstow said: “It has been eight years of progress and making a difference for the people of York, and that demonstrates a council which has its eyes firmly on the things which matter to those people.”