Manchester opposes Bolton’s ‘Greater Manchester’ name change

The University of Manchester has said that the proposed new name of the University of Bolton would be “very misleading and confusing”.

The institution wishes to become the University of Greater Manchester to reflect its growing presence in the region beyond the town in which it was founded.

A consultation run by the English regulator, the Office for Students (OfS), has begun, with people being invited to give their views on whether the name change could be seen as misleading or confusing.

A Manchester spokesman told Times Higher Education it would be objecting to the plan in its response.

“We are responding to the formal consultation regarding the proposed name change and will be registering our concerns,” the spokesman said. “We believe the proposed name change will be very misleading and confusing.”

Bolton’s long-standing vice-chancellor, George Holmes, has said the university’s commitment to the town is “unswerving” but the new name would “more accurately portray what the university has become in recent years: serving and operating in the whole area of Greater Manchester, not just one borough within it”.

The university now has a presence in Trafford, central Manchester and Wigan, with future plans to move into Bury as well.

Professor Holmes has pointed to other city regions where universities share similar names including London, Liverpool, Leeds and Birmingham, which he said demonstrates “beyond doubt that the new name is neither misleading nor confusing”.

The consultation runs until 2 May, at which point the OfS will decide whether to approve or reject the change.

A decision is also expected imminently on a separate consultation, called after the University of Central Lancashire submitted plans to become the “University of Lancashire”. Lancaster University warned that this would be “very confusing” for students.

tom.williams@timeshighereducation.com