A Derbyshire entertainer has been told he must pay a £429 licence fee to keep and exhibit the white rabbit he uses in his children’s magic act, a sum the performer says will hit his small business and the free charity shows he provides.
Stuart Brown, 60, who performs as Magic Stuart and has been featuring bunnies in his shows for more than 15 years, said he was shocked to receive the bill from Derby City Council for his three-year-old Netherland Dwarf rabbit, Snowy. He said Snowy appears on a table for photographs and does not perform tricks, and that the fee was out of proportion to the scale of his operation.
Brown said the licence must be renewed every three years and that renewal costs were being quoted at £328. He said he has emailed the council to appeal the fee and is willing to pay a licence but believes the figure should be lower, arguing the charge groups him with pet shops and animal menageries despite having a single animal that is not trained to perform.
"I was shocked when they told me the amount. I couldn't believe it was over £400 for one small fluffy white bunny that is only in my show for around ten minutes," Brown said. "It seems so out of proportion for what the cost of the animal was to me. I just can't understand how they can justify that sort of price for one little bunny."
Brown, who lives in Littleover and turned his hobby into full-time work after being laid off from Toyota more than 20 years ago, said if he is required to pay the full fee he may have to scale back unpaid charity appearances. "I do lots of charity shows for children with life-limiting illnesses and don't charge at all," he said. "If they put this fee on me then I shall have to cut those down and swap over to paid bookings. You can't afford to take a loss as a sole trader."
A Derby City Council spokesperson said the licence requirement is set by national law and has been in force since Oct. 1, 2018. "A licence has been required for the keeping or training of animals for exhibition since October 1, 2018, as part of The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations," the council said. "This is a legal requirement set out by the Government and the fees associated with this are in line with other local authorities across the country."
Those regulations set a framework for local authorities to licence activities that involve animals being kept or trained for exhibition, a category that can include performers who bring animals to shows, fairs or other public events. Local fees vary by council and may cover application assessment, inspections and administration.
Brown disputes the designation, saying Snowy is not trained and is used primarily for photo opportunities rather than as part of the act. He said council staff told him the fee category did not change based on the number of animals: "They said it didn't matter if I had one animal or a pet shop, it all falls into the same category. It is like someone in a bungalow and someone in a mansion paying the same council tax." He added that he had hoped the council would consider his circumstances as a sole trader who performs on his own.
The performer said he learned magic as a teenager and moved into entertainment full time two decades ago. He indicated the licence burden could change how he operates, particularly the free work he does for charities, but said he is prepared to pursue an appeal and seek a clearer explanation of how the charges were calculated.
The council statement framed the licence fee as compliance with government regulations designed to protect animal welfare and public safety. It did not provide further detail on the fee schedule or on whether discretionary reductions or different categories might apply to entertainers with a single, non-performing animal.
Brown's case highlights tensions some small entertainers and sole traders say they face when national welfare rules are implemented locally and when fixed fee structures are applied across varied operations. He said he hopes the council will reconsider the charge or at least clarify the basis for the fee so he can continue his work, including the unpaid shows he provides to vulnerable children.
An appeal by the performer was under way and no final decision had been reported by the council at the time of publication.