by Kathie Griffiths T&A Reporter The fight to keep working Horses at Bradford’s Industrial Museum has been joined by the MEP for Yorkshire and Humber.

Conservative Timothy Kirkhope has come down on the side of supporters wanting to keep Darcy and Murdoch at the museum in Eccleshill.

His spokesman said: “He understands councils needs to make cuts, but he thinks that this is such an important part of Bradford and so emotionally linked to the people and their collective past that this is the wrong way to go about it.”

She added Mr Kirkhope was aware of claims there had been no real consultation and that he was sympathetic to people who had tried to offer alternatives which did not seem to have been considered by Bradford Council.

Last month it emerged a firm decision to retire the work horses at Bradford Industrial Museum had actually been taken months earlier by the Council and that any consultation which had been taking place since February had been over the future of four members of staff – and not the two Clydesdale horses.

The confirmation of that by the council came as a blow to visitors to the Eccleshill museum, many of whom had been fighting to save the horses in a belief that their future was out for consultation.

The decision to close the Horses at Work was to save £126,000, primarily in staff costs, but the search is still on to find a suitable new home for the horses.

A petition containing more than 1,500 signatures has been collected by campaigners and council leader Ian Greenwood has stressed the horses would not be going anywhere until a suitable home could be found for them.

Up until now Murdoch and Darcy have been stabled at the Moorside Road museum where they pull visitors around in a wagon.

However, Keighley town councillors have now agreed in principle to take ownership of the horses following a presentation by their special projects officer Alan Parry.

Mr Parry had suggested if the pair were brought to Keighley they could be used to pull the ‘black maria’ police wagon, which will form part of the planned new police museum in North Street.

He said it would cost about £10,000 to keep them, including the costs of insurance, grooming, livery, trailers and stabling and the council voted to allow Mr Parry to investigate the matter further.