The Government recently announced plans for a Mayoral Combined Authority for York and North Yorkshire as part of a devolution of power from Whitehall.

Labour councillors say that if the change goes ahead, the Mayor would require a new base, along with up to 100 staff members.

Group Leader Cllr Claire Douglas said that should the deal gain approval, City of York Council should 'get its act together' and make the case for the authority being based in York.

She said there 'was quite a lot of concern' that North Yorkshire could see the lion’s share of investment, and basing the authority in York would go some way towards countering that fear, and 'reflect the importance of York as the key economic centre for the entire area.'

She said:“York is particularly well connected by rail, meaning getting to and from London to make the case for investment with Ministers would be straight forward.

"A number of sites could be suitable to host the Mayor and Combined Authority, from West Offices, across the road from the rail station and York Central, to potentially locating on the York Central site itself."