Bradford Council chiefs were instrumental in bringing together their York and Manchester counterparts to avoid all three being “picked off one by one” as museum bosses threaten to close one of the three northern museums including Bradford’s flagship institution.

MPs, along with the Telegraph & Argus, have vowed to fight to save Bradford’s National Media Museum, under threat along with the National Rail Museum in York and the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester because of possible Government funding cuts to the parent group, the Science Museum Group.

Ian Blatchford, the head of the Science Museum group, warned that one could close if a spending review this month proved one cut too many.

It was reported that the councils met to discuss the option of pushing for the museums to be put under the Department for Business rather than the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, their current home, to access more funding.

But it has now emerged the councils were made aware of the closure plight weeks ago with Bradford taking the lead to bring them all together.

Coun Dave Green, the leader of Bradford Council, along with chief executive Tony Reeves, got the other councils around the table in a bid to protect them all.

Coun Green said: “We led on this because the Science Museum Group informed us about the problem and we pulled together the other authorities to protect the museums in the North of England.

“We meet with York and Manchester again next week and are talking to leaders of Leeds City Region for support.

“We are saying no museums closures in the North because we are not willing to sit there and be picked off one by one.”

Calls for the Council to use their reserves to help the museum were rejected by Coun Green.

“This is a long-term funding issue,” he said. “Reserves are not the answer because once they are spent, they are spent.

“We would be willing to sit down with the Science Museum Group and sort out closer ways of working which may involve the council looking at the future arrangements in terms of a business plan and we are ruling nothing out.”

MPs will meet this weekend or Monday to decide how to combine forces to get a cast iron guarantee that the museum remains in Bradford.

Bradford South MP Gerry Sutcliffe (Lab) said that he had spoken to Shipley MP Philip Davies and Keighley MP Kris Hopkins and hoped to meet Bradford East MP David Ward and Bradford West MP George Galloway on Monday.

He said: “I will also be speaking with Mr Blatchford today after he requested a conversation. He is trying to kill the view about London (the museum moving there), but the more I speak to people the more sure I am about it. It is time for the city to unite and come together to prevent a closure from happening.”

Mr Galloway has written an invitation to all MPs to meet him after tomorrow’s rally or Monday in Parliament.

His invitation said: “You will all be very aware of the threat to the National Media Museum which has emerged in the last few days. You will also not need me to tell you of the devastating effect closure of the museum would have on the efforts to regenerate the city centre.”

But Coun Glen Miller, the Conservative group leader on the Council, said that the situation was not at crisis point and called for Mr Blatchford to be replaced.

He said: “I think it is posturing and I don’t think it is going to close. It is important Bradford keeps the museum because it is a central point and brings people to the district.

“I now read that the group is already thinking of responding to the challenge by simply closing one of the three museums. This smacks of throwing the towel in before the fight has even begun and it is a totally unacceptable attitude. It is way too early for Mr Blatchford to be looking at which of the three museums will close and his failure to mention any threat whatsoever to the Science Museum in London speaks volumes.

“It is all well and good accusing the Media Museum of drifting from core mission, but as the well paid director of the group, he should resolve this without closing it down.

“The group should be seeking out potential sponsorships wherever they may be, rather than prematurely talking of closures. In light of the group’s decision to award the director a pay rise or bonus of £25,000 to £30,000 last year, I suspect that savings and also alternative funding streams could be found if the will was there.”

Coun Jeanette Sunderland, the Liberal Democrat group leader on the Council, said that everyone needed to campaign hard, but insisted reserve cash should be used by the council to help the museum.

She said: “We need to refocus the effort and if it is this vital, the council has to put its hand in its pocket.

“There is absolutely no reason why we couldn’t bid for money from the European Union because they are crying out to give money for European jobs projects in Bradford which would create breathing space. If there is a big crisis maybe the Council ought to step in.”