THE Green Party and the Liberal Democrats will team up to lead City of York Council - and say they will focus on introducing a tourist levy, providing professional mental health support in each school and making York carbon neutral by 2030.

It is the first time the Greens have taken a role in leading the council. Their group leader Cllr Andy D’Agorne called it a “historic moment”.

But Labour said they were “disappointed” by the deal and cast doubt on whether the Greens and the Lib Dems could work together on certain issues - including York Central, transport and recycling.

In a document outlining their shared goals, the Greens and the Lib Dems said they will also focus on improving residents’ parking, install 100 new bins and deliver a clean air zone in the city.

Cllr D’Agorne, who was first elected as a Green councillor 16 years ago, said: “We hope to take a fresh look at the way things are done in York and try to move on beyond tribal politics into delivering basic services in ways that are smarter and more sustainable.

“We won’t get everything right, but when we don’t get it right I would hope we can learn from our mistakes and work towards delivering a better service.

“It’s a historic moment for the Green Party in York.”

The Lib Dems won the most seats in the local elections - 21 - but fell short of the 24 needed for a majority. The Greens held their four seats on the council. Together, the two groups took more than 50 per cent of votes cast according to a spokesman.

Lib Dem leader Keith Aspden said: “I am delighted that both our parties have recognised our shared aspirations for the city and have come together to deliver for our residents and communities.

“We remain committed to working with all parties on shared areas of interest, particularly in improving the transparency of the council and giving a greater voice to residents.”

But the Labour group, which won 17 seats at the election, making it the second largest party, said the coalition was “built on very shaky foundations from day one”.

A spokesman for Labour said leaked minutes from a meeting showed the Greens did not put forward any options to work with Labour in a two or three party coalition.

Labour group leader Danny Myers said: “It’s disappointing to see the Greens going into coalition with a party that has failed the city and its residents so badly over the past four years.

“It’s also surprising to see the Greens lean towards the Lib Dems given their dreadful record on green policies in recent years.

“Recycling rates have flatlined and cycle and bus journeys have gone down, with the Lib Dems' focus being elsewhere.”

A spokesman for the Lib Dems said the group had already worked with the Greens on issues including Brexit and that, although there are differences, there is also a “significant amount” of common ground between the two groups.

The deal leaves Labour as the main opposition party. The Green group says it wants “all-party backing” for actions to tackle the climate emergency.