Fears Bolton is being ‘Manchesterised’ could be ‘damaging to the borough’, councillors have heard. The concerns about a loss of identity for the town came after the University of Bolton confirmed last month it had changed its name to The University of Greater Manchester, dropping the town’s name entirely from its title.
In April, Bolton at Home, which manages thousands of social housing properties in the borough, will also erase Bolton from their name – becoming Be One Homes.
That move came after the housing group merged with Arcon Housing Association. A full meeting of Bolton council heard concerns of a ‘loss of identity’ for the borough.
Coun Roger Hayes said: “I’ve lived here for 50 years and am very proud of Bolton. “It worries me that the Bolton name is being removed from both the university and Bolton at Home.
“It can only be damaging to the borough. What steps does the leader think are appropriate to preserve the status of Bolton and counter the apparent ‘Manchesterisation’ that is taking place?
Coun leader Nick Peel, said: “The university are in an extremely competitive market, seeking fees and especially overseas students. Manchester does have a very, very well known, internationally recognised brand.
“They made a competitive decision to increase student numbers. If the name change is as significant as the university think it is then we will see an increase in students who will bring that much needed fee paying money.
The University of Bolton ditched the town’s name in December
“We want our university to do well even if we disagree with them on this issue.” Coun Peel said the two ‘name change’ examples given should be separated.
He said: “The university could be accused of ‘Manchesterisation’ but Bolton at Home is a another thing. “There is absolutely no need to do what they are doing with the name.
“They took over a smaller housing provider and they could have kept the names. “There was no rationale to change its name.
“There’s no competitive or investment inducing argument, they simply wanted to not be associated with a single geographical area and that’s a crying shame.” Coun Peel was also asked what could be done to promote the ‘Bolton’ brand.
He said: “There’s nothing bigger than our football club. Bolton Wanderers is an internationally recognised name. Everything we do with our partners whether that’s brilliant events , being one of the number one destinations for TV and movie filming or promoting our rich heritage and countryside should all be branded ‘Bolton’.
“The name Bolton is going to stand out and shine like a beacon especially as our regeneration plans improve.” When the university name change was introduced vice chancellor, Professor George E Holmes, said the new name more accurately reflected the university’s presence and influence across Greater Manchester.
Noel Sharpe, CEO of Bolton At Home has also explained the rationale behind its re-branding. He said: “Though Bolton is, and will remain, our heartland, we’ve been developing and managing more homes outside of the borough over the last few years.
“Joining together with Arcon has further added to the number of homes we have in other areas of Greater Manchester and the Northwest. “We want all our customers, staff and stakeholders to feel valued by and connected with us.
“For these reasons we decided to explore a new name that’s not location-specific and better reflects our shared values. “Be One Homes embodies our commitment to accountability, inclusivity and togetherness.”