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You are right to point to the higher education strength of Greater Manchester ("North flexes muscles", November 25). But your statistics underplay the importance.

Manchester does not have a population of 2.4 million; it has a population of 430,000. It is Greater Manchester that has a population of 2.5 million. And if you consider Greater Manchester you need also to consider the staff and students at Bolton University, the Royal Northern College of Music and Salford University.

If you do that, the size and importance of higher education in Greater Manchester is more in line with London than your piece suggests.

Paul Rowlett

Salford University