Leader: Colleges plan good for Shropshire

As one of the largest counties in Britain, it has long been a bone of contention that Shropshire does not have its own fully-fledged university.

Aside from Wolverhampton's satellite campus in Telford, there has been a significant, potentially damaging void in the fabric of the county.

Unquestionably, the absence of university options has persuaded many locally-born teenagers who would otherwise have stayed at home that their futures lie elsewhere.

This, in turn, has contributed to the ever-increasing average age of Shropshire's already mature population.

So the Government's plans to change the rules for small colleges, paving the way for more smaller centres to seek full university status, should be warmly welcomed.

Harper Adams University College, near Newport, is considering making an application. It is difficult to think of a more deserving cause.

A university specialising in agriculture-related degrees, with a global reputation, would be a perfect fit for a farming heartland such as rural Shropshire.

Harper Adams is already turning out some of the most employable graduates in the UK in its capacity as a university college. So, in many ways, any changes to its operations would be in name only.

But carrying a university title would add credibility, not only to the tuition delivered at its Edgmond site, but also to its international work in the fields of agriculture and food.

And this can only be of benefit to the Shropshire economy, and the county's standing as a place of educational excellence.

Frankly, it is difficult to think of any negatives. Or, for that matter, reasons why Harper Adams should not be right at the front of the queue for overdue recognition.