£10 increase in GOC fees

Annual General Optical Council registration fees for optometrists, dispensing opticians and bodies corporate will increase by 3.2 per cent next year to £320, the regulator has announced.

GOC chair Gareth Hadley said the increase would ensure the regulator had the resources to carry out its functions.

‘The increase builds in a contingency for eventualities such as a further increase in complaint numbers or particularly complex cases.

‘It will also allow us to continue the implementation of our new Standards of Practice and consult thoroughly on new business standards,’ he said.

‘We must also bear the costs of more visits to education institutions and a levy to the Professional Standards Authority of around £3.50 per registrant,’ added Hadley.