THE University of Bolton has come top of one set of league tables and near the bottom of another.

It’s No.1 in Greater Manchester and 36th in the country in a different table. While critics insist on ignoring the positive, focusing on the negative when it comes to Bolton’s university, one fact is plain. It has brought new investors and development to the town and Bolton’s profile as a home of academia is now higher than it’s ever been.

So, please, when you’re tempted to knock it down, just look at the pluses it brought and continues to bring here.