THREAT OF CLOSURE TO NORTHERN MUSEUMS

That this House views with alarm the possibility of the closure of the National Media Museum in Bradford, the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester and the National Railway Museum in York as a result of spending cuts to be announced in the forthcoming Spending Review; notes that these three museums play an exceptionally important role in making available to people, particularly in the north of England, the wonderful heritage Britain has in all of these areas; further notes that all three museums have outstanding records which would be even better with more adequate funding; further notes that the closure or rundown of the National Media Museum in Bradford would have a devastating effect on the attempts to revive Bradford's city centre which has been blighted by widespread closures, the derelict state of the iconic Bradford Odeon and the failure thus far of the Westfield Broadway project; believes cuts to funding jeopardising the future of these museums would not only be an act of gross and entirely unnecessary philistinism but also represent discrimination against the north of England; and opposes wholeheartedly any cuts to funding of these three iconic museums.