Any concern over the future of the National Media Museum in Bradford will send a shiver down the spine of those who care about the city.

But it is an issue that has to be addressed as Government spending cuts continue to impact on all areas of public service. The museum, which is operated by the Science Museums Group, has already made significant cost savings, targeting a reduction in costs of 30 per cent last October.

The group as a whole is now warning that it is facing a significant deficit next year, and will have to look at a range of options.

Local politicians, aware of the value this iconic attraction holds for Bradford, are already lobbying central Government to look at alternative ways of ensuring the museum’s future.

Both Labour’s Council leader David Green and Lib Dem MP for Bradford East David Ward are united in a call for its funding to be transferred to the Department of Business rather than the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

The logic behind that is that the Bradford museum – and its counterparts, the National Rail Museum in York and the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester – can play a significant role in education and scientific development, and hence offer more than just a leisure-based activity.

There may also be some merit in looking further at Jeanette Sunderland’s argument that Council reserves could be invested in the museum’s future. There is no doubt that in itself, the National Media Museum is a vitally important facility, offering unique educational resources. But it is also a crucial element in Bradford’s continued revival.

That is why it is imperative that politicians of all hues continue to put their differences aside and do everything within their power to ensure this world-leading facility does not slip through the city’s hands.