WE WILL reserve judgment on today’s news that Newport’s university has begun merger talks with the University of Glamorgan.

There is still too little detail available to be able to form a viewas to whether the proposed integration between the two universities is good or bad news for Newport and the greater Gwent area.

Our position on the future of Newport’s university has remained consistent since the Welsh Government made it clear it wanted to see a reconfiguration of higher education in south-east Wales.

We believe the university is a huge asset to the city and we want to see it grow rather than be taken over by another institution.

So we take some comfort that the talks between Newport and Glamorgan appear to be taking place on the basis that each will have an equal stake in any merger.

But we remain to be convinced that the so-called super-university option is the best way forward.

If the outcome of the talks announced today is a new university that offers worldclass education in this part of Wales then we will welcome it with open arms.

If we end up with a university that can compete with the best in Britain and beyond then it will be a huge shot in the arm for the local economy.

But today’s news is merely the first step on what we suspect may be a long journey.