YORK’S bid for funding to kickstart the York Central scheme is “being assessed on a fair and competitive basis”, a government spokesman has said.

City of York Council has bid for an essential £77.1m from the government’s Housing Infrastructure fund to launch the programme.

A decision on the cash was due in March but there has still been no word on whether the bid has been successful - and York was not included in the latest round of funding announcements.

A spokesman for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: “Every community should have the roads, rail links, and schools it needs to support families living there and to unlock new homes.

“That’s why we worked with York City Council and 44 other areas to develop Housing Infrastructure Fund Forward Funding projects.

“York’s bids are being assessed on a fair and competitive basis and further announcements of successful bids can be expected the coming months.”

In July senior councillors agreed to put £750,000 towards keeping the project going for the next four months while awaiting a decision.

The money will be used for further design work and finalising the next stage of the planning application process. Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Keith Aspden said the Conservative leadership race may be to blame for the delays.