YORK City's new chairman John Batchelor today reaffirmed his commitment to giving fans a voice in the Minstermen boardroom.

Confirmation of his pledge to give two seats in the boardroom to representatives from the Supporters' Trust comes just days after the fans' body announced it was postponing plans to nominate its two would-be directors while clarification is sought on "certain matters".

"My intentions with the Trust have not changed," insisted Batchelor, who also plans to give the Supporters' Trust a 25.1 per cent stake in the club.

"We are in a transitional period that I wouldn't have picked but we have just got to get through it."

The 'transitional period' has meant former chairman Douglas Craig and directors Barry Swallow, Colin Webb and Josh Easby, still have their seats on the board despite Batchelor's take-over.

The Trust have now written to the club's board and have requested a written invitation from them to put forward its two representatives who will be appointed directors of the club.

Batchelor admitted he was unable as yet to give a firm date as to when the Trust members would be given their seats in the boardroom.

However, a meeting between Batchelor and the Trust has been arranged for next week and the City chairman said he hoped any confusion would be resolved then.

"Next week there will be further developments because I have a meeting with the Trust and any clarification as to the position will be made then," he said.

Speaking two weeks after his take-over of the club was confirmed, Batchelor revealed a new kit design for next season could be unveiled soon.

He also indicated he has not given up hope of keeping top-scorer Michael Proctor at the club.

The striker is currently on loan from Sunderland and has attracted the interest of a number of other clubs. Yesterday, Mansfield Town had a reported £175,000 bid for Proctor rejected by the Black Cats.

"We are still looking at that. We don't have to make a decision before May and a lot of things can happen before then," said Batchelor.

As he looks to balance the books, the City chairman is planning to spend the summer reviewing the club's playing staff but insisted there would be no definite limits imposed on manager Terry Dolan.

"If you make hard or fast rules you are a hostage to fortune, you make a rod for your own back and you make it very, very difficult for the manager," he reasoned.

"We will look at each case as it comes up but I am going to sit down and address the playing staff issue.

"What we don't want to get sucked into is the situation in which Nottingham Forest currently find themselves where they have a financial director saying 'well, we took a risk', otherwise in 12 months time we will be in exactly the same situation we were in last month. I can't let that happen.

"Having said that, we are also stuck with the contracts as they are. I have no wish to re-negotiate them because that is just what ITV Digital are trying to do.

"What I will do is look at any new contracts we do offer very carefully to ensure the club is within its means."

Batchelor said many of his more immediate plans for the club would start to be realised soon.

"There are some things which I would like to alter, they are small but important things in the way we communicate with the outside world.

"Over the course of the next two or three months you will see some subtle changes."

He added: "We have got commercial problems in that there is more that we can do.

"Peter (Salter, City's commercial manager) has been in limbo because he has not known what is going to happen next season.

"Now he has got time and confidence enough to say 'we are here next year and this is what we are doing' then that should improve.

"Genuinely, there just aren't enough hours in the day to do everything that we would like to do immediately."

Updated: 11:06 Friday, March 29, 2002