TOP-LEVEL talks are to be held between a Government minister and York’s leisure chiefs, over plans for a new community stadium for York.

Gerry Sutcliffe, the Minister for Sport will visit York in July, to meet representatives from City of York Council, Sport England and possibly other sports bodies.

Christian Vassie, the council’s outgoing executive member for leisure and culture, said: “This is our opportunity to make real progress and I will hope that Yorkshire Forward and York’s universities are in attendance.”

Charlie Croft, the council’s director of leisure and culture, added: “I hope this will get some energy around the idea and get some of sport’s governing bodies interested, to see how they can get involved and how their can be a coming together of interests.”

The stadium project manager, Tim Atkins, is currently compiling the business case, ahead of a crunch meeting of the council’s ruling executive next month.

It is expected that the stadium will be a multi-use facility, to be used by York City FC, York City Knights rugby league club, and the wider community.

It is thought it could include educational or health facilities.

The business case will have gone before the executive by the time of the July meeting.

Coun Vassie, who has been sacked from the executive, with effect from May 22, said he believed involving the University of York and York St John University would boost the project.

He said he and Mr Croft had met the University of York’s chancellor Greg Dyke on Saturday, and Coun Vassie also spoke with the vice-chancellor Brian Cantor.

Coun Vassie said: “We set out for the university the huge opportunity that the community stadium represents for them as well as for us. I do believe they are interested in moving this forwards.”