After 10,000 suggestions, the new list of names for the 2021/22 storm season has been chosen by the Met Office and include names from a self-confessed weather watcher, a “quick-as-lightning” goalkeeper, and a daughter who “leaves a trail of destruction”.
The names will be given to the strongest weather systems to hit the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands over the coming year – with the first storm running from September 2021 to the end of August 2022.
This first storm will be called Arwen, a Welsh name popularised by a character from the Lord Of The Rings Books.
The names were drawn from more than 10,000 suggestions submitted to the Met Office for the strongest weather systems to hit the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands over the coming year.
A stormy night in Manchester // Facebook
Kim, Logan, Ruby and Dudley are also on the list selected by the Met Office, along with Met Eireann and Dutch national weather forecasting service the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI).
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A Met Office spokesman said Kim was nominated in recognition of a “whirlwind” relative and a self-confessed weather watcher, while Logan was nominated by several parents and grandparents, with one particular Logan being described as a “tornado”.
Ruby, on the other hand, is the name of a cat who “acts like a violent storm” when she enters the house.
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Dudley turned out to be the most popular name nominated beginning with D thanks to a Twitter poll by a couple who get married in 2022 and will share the surname Dudley.
Other names on the list – which does not use names beginning with Q, U, X, Y or Z – include Barra, Corrie, Eunice, Franklin, Gladys, Herman, Imani, Jack, Meabh, Nasim, Olwen, Pol, Sean, Tineke, Vergil and Willemien.
The first day of meteorological #autumn will begin in a similar vein to how #summer ended 🍂
Most of us will wake up on #Wednesday morning to grey skies. It will also be damp in places with some drizzly showers 🌧️
Since Name our Storms first launched in 2015, the Met Office has issued a new list of names each September. The list runs from early September to late August the following year. This coincides with the start of autumn when the likelihood of low pressure systems and the potential for named storms increase.
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The naming of storms using a single authoritative system aids the communication of approaching severe weather through media partners and other government agencies. In other words, they’re easier to remember and thus remind people to stay safe.
Will Lang, head of the National Severe Weather Warning Service at the Met Office, said: “We’re all aware of some of the severe weather that has been witnessed across Europe and globally in recent months and we work to use any tool at our disposal to ensure the public is informed of potential risks, and naming storms is just one way we do that.”
The autumn/winter storm names have been announced by the Met Office.
Names have been suggested by the public with some reasons behind them. Logan for example ‘runs through the house like a tornado’ according to his grandparents 🌪.https://t.co/BlIE3fqcaapic.twitter.com/iKrKosQKGd
Andy Burnham introduces new rules to tackle ‘rip-off’ parking charges
Daisy Jackson
City centre parking is at a premium, especially in a city like Manchester – but we’ve surely all made honest mistakes when paying and been slapped with eye-watering fines as a result.
Well now, Andy Burnham has announced a new Private Parking Code of Practice, which will clamp down on ‘rip-off’ private parking charges.
It will also make it easier for drivers to challenge unfair charges, capping charges for ‘smaller slip-ups’ at £20, and scrapping charges altogether on appeal for ‘honest mistakes’.
The new Code will get drivers a guaranteed five minutes to decide whether to park and 10 minutes to leave once their session ends.
Under the new Private Parking Code of Practice laid in Parliament today, you’ll be able to appeal to have all charges scrapped for honest mistakes like stopping briefly to check directions, and for situations like a medical emergency, breakdown or broken ticket machine.
Then charges will be capped at £20 for other mistakes such as forgetting a parking permit, entering the wrong vehicle’s registration or forgetting to confirm it in the machine when parking.
The Code also freezes the maximum parking charge at £100. Operators who don’t comply risk losing access to DVLA data, meaning that even if they issue a charge, it will be far more difficult to identify the registered owner to pursue payment.
Data shows just under 17 million private parking charges were issued in the UK last year alone.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: “Being a few minutes late back to your car or typing one digit of your numberplate wrong shouldn’t end with a hefty fine landing on your doormat.
“These charges leave people feeling ripped off and out of pocket, so I’m putting a stop to them.
Andy Burnham introduces new rules to tackle ‘rip-off’ parking charges. Credit: Unsplash, Samuel Isaacs
“We are introducing clearer rules, longer grace periods and lower charges for genuine mistakes, while going after the deliberate scams that rip drivers off.”
Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Angela Rayner said: “Parking should be straightforward, not another everyday hassle. These changes mean drivers get a fairer deal, protected time to park and leave without fear of being unfairly charged, and confidence that private parking providers are held to a higher standard.
“It’s yet another step forward in this government’s plan to take the stress out of everyday life and ease the pressure on people’s pockets.”
Minister for Consumer Action, Kate Dearden, said: “Nobody works hard for their money just to be deceived by a dodgy trader, and this is exactly the kind of everyday rip-off this government is going after.
“By making it easier to take action against car clocking, we are protecting consumers’ hard-earned money and supporting businesses that play by the rules.”
A Greater Manchester neighbourhood has been named one of the ‘coolest’ in the UK
Clementine Hall
A neighbourhood in Great Manchester has been crowned one of the coolest in the country – and this time, it’s not Ancoats.
Every year, we wait with bated breath to see which UK neighbourhoods have made the cut in Time Out’s annual ranking of the coolest places in the world.
But, as it turns out, Britain is just so damn cool that we’ve earned a list of our own.
In its latest guide, ’11 Coolest Neighbourhoods in the UK’, Time Out has rounded up the places across the country that are really making a name for themselves.
Images: The Manc
And one neighbourhood here in Greater Manchester has made the cut, and although you’d immediately think of Ancoats that has made its way to similar lists before, this time there’s a newbie on the block.
Coming in at a very respectable fourth place, Stockport and the Underbanks received a glowing report in the coveted list.
Images: The Manc
Are we surprised? Not one bit.
We love Stockport for its flourishing food scene, cool community vibe and ever-growing roster of independent businesses – not to mention its brilliant mix of old-school charm and new-school cool.
It’s a place that feels like it’s constantly evolving, without losing the character that made people fall in love with it in the first place. And clearly, Time Out agrees.
Images: The Manc
Kyle MacNeill, contributing writer, said: “If you live anywhere near Manchester, you may have heard this one on the rumour mill: ‘Stockport is The New Berlin’. It’s a gag, alright: the humble market town hasn’t got a club, let alone the most hedonistic nightlife scene in the world. But it is true that SK is rapidly becoming the place-to-move-to for the Second City’s creatives, thanks to cheaper rent and some serious suburban tenacity.
“The Underbanks, a cobbled high street once home to hat-makers and hosiers, has been transformed into a bustling hub of forward-thinking vendors, while various local institutions have embraced Euro-style cafe culture, midcentury decor, sustainable fine-dining, small plates snacking and chic drinking dens. All of which, actually, come to think of it, is very Berlin… “
High praise indeed, you can read the full list of the UK’s coolest neighbourhoods here.
The Manc -
1st September 2021 
