YORK'S former culture boss is seeking a return to front-line politics, claiming party "tribalism" is failing the city.

Christian Vassie, a former Liberal Democrat councillor, who also stood for the UK and European Parliaments, has gone independent and will stand in May in Holgate, the seat of former council leader James Alexander.

He said party politics had held York back and called for a new wave of councillors who would work together. City of York Council has witnessed a series of defections in recent years, with two councillors resigning from the Conservatives and five from Labour in the past four years.

Mr Vassie, who was responsible for leisure and culture from 2007 to 2009, said: "No party is all good or all bad, but is time to dump the political tribalism that is holding our city back. I know that there are many others who feel the same way.

He added: "Party politics is not helping the city, with our politicians more interested in fighting each other than they are in tackling the city's challenges.

"For the sake of our city's future, to tackle fuel poverty, to bring new homes, to protect our environment, to reduce congestion, I believe we need to sideline the party politics that is failing our city. We need a new bunch of councillors, politicians who will work together."

He said change was urgently needed, citing a report highlighted in The Press yesterday, naming York as one of the worst places in the country for building new homes.

Mr Vassie served as a Liberal Democrat councillor for Wheldrake from 2003 until 2011, when he was beaten by Conservative George Barton, who attracted more than double the number of votes as Mr Vassie.

But in the run up to election the then Cllr Vassie had been embroiled in a series of public rows with his political group.

He was sacked as culture boss on the council's ruling Executive in 2009, and then suspended from the party after openly criticising the party's leaders for what he dubbed the money-wasting bungling of the Barbican site redevelopment, the community stadium, and the Allerton Park waste incinerator plan.

Announcing his candidacy for May, he accused today's councillors of letting party politics get in the way of a Local Plan, protecting the greenbelt, and tackling the growing housing crisis; and for blaming funding problems on national policies rather than finding ways of generating more funds in the city.

He said the Lendal Bridge saga showed a ruling Labour group failing to get any consensus or support from other parties, while opponents waited until things went wrong to speak up rather than offering constructive criticism in advance.

He said that although he saw much achieved during his years as a Liberal Democrat councillor, he witnessed "many things left undone".

I am delighted to have the support of Liz Edge who has been a popular Holgate councillor. If elected as an independent, I will represent all the voters of the ward, and work with other councillors of all parties to create a viable and sustainable long-term future."

And he is to stand in the city centre Holgate ward - the current ward of former Labour leader James Alexander - because of the crucial part the redeveloped York Central site which lies in the ward will have in York's future.

Labour won all three seats in the last council election, but Mr Vassie is likely to face only one incumbent - Cllr Sonja Crisp - with Cllr Alexander standing down and Cllr Joe Riches set to fight the York Outer parliamentary constituency for Labour instead.