Consultants, drafted in to assess rival bids for a National Football Museum have recommended Manchester ahead of a meeting of 13 trustees today in which a decision will be made. The study by PKF reveals that chief executive of Manchester Council, Sir Howard Bernstein, is prepared to contribute £8m to the project from the authority’s taxpayer-backed finances, although full council support for this is yet to be garnered.

People enrolled in a Bradford Council training scheme aiming to get them into work are this week participating in a series of activities to mark National Interfaith Week, including visiting a local mosque, a Polish Catholic Church, a Sikh temple and a Hindu temple. Councillor Michael Kelly said: “This is a great learning opportunity for the trainees. Gaining a greater understanding of other faiths is a valuable addition to any other training or employment they enter into and even more important in a multi-cultural district like Bradford.”

Cornwall Council is believed to have become the only local authority in England to own a quarry, having closed a deal on Monday to buy Castle-an-Dinas Quarry, near Penzance in West Cornwall. The quarry was purchased on the grounds that it would secure the jobs of those working there and provide the council with high quality granite for building projects and road works.

An online petition launched by Medway Council, Kent County Council and the RSPB opposing Boris Johnson’s plans for a £40m floating airport in the Thames Estuary has collected a thousand signatures in a month. Medway Council Leader Cllr Rodney Chambers said: “I would like to thank all the people who have signed this much needed petition, but would urge others to do so as well”, adding “This pie in the sky plan would turn parts of Medway and Kent into a concrete jungle and have a devastating effect on the environment.”