Derbyshire Times news bulletin with editor Phil Bramley
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00:00Here's today's Derbyshire Times video bulletin.
00:03Chesterfield Borough Council's Cabinet is proposing a 2.99% increase in the Authority's
00:08share of its Council tax bills.
00:11The Council also plans a rent increase of 2.7% for its tenants, as part of plans to
00:16balance its budget for the 2025-26 financial year.
00:21Following a tough 24-25, the Council introduced a number of controversial savings plans, with
00:27money also taken from the Budget Risk Reserve to balance a forecast of a £4m budget deficit.
00:33But the Council says it has achieved its savings targets, and hopes to deliver an underspend
00:38to support its budget despite inflationary costs.
00:42It means that the Council tax changes would see a Band A property, which includes more
00:46than half of the properties in the borough, see an increase equivalent to £3.80 per year
00:51or seven pence per week.
00:53For a Band D property, the increase would be equivalent to an extra £5.70 per year
00:58or 11 pence per week.
01:02A Chesterfield singer-songwriter who has played to thousands of people around the world is
01:06in the running for chart success, after fans funded his debut album.
01:11Casey Lowry was told by major record labels he couldn't make it without their help or
01:15their money, but the 26-year-old guitarist beat the setback, determined to retain creative
01:19control of his indie surf music.
01:22He launched a Kickstarter appeal, in which he tugged the heartstrings by saying,
01:26I'm just a boy from Chesterfield with a silly dream of being a musician.
01:29I don't have rich parents, I don't have big family contacts, I just have you guys.
01:34So let's prove to the music industry how important music is.
01:38In just three days, Casey managed to hit his target of £10,000, and that figure has now
01:42risen to £27,000 in pre-album release pledges.
01:47His album, Leckerland, is due out on April 4th, with the first single, Low Mood Season,
01:52available now on all platforms.
01:55Casey added,
01:56We're in the running for the official top 40 in the UK and the billboard in the US,
02:00and it's looking like we have a fair chance.