Applicants eye Council positions

Ten applications for the post of GOC chairman and 191 applications for member positions have been received by the independent Appointments Commission managing the recruitment drive.

The campaign to recruit a new lay chairman and 11 GOC council members for the new 'board like' Council, which must be in place by April 2009, closed on October 3 2008.

Optician understands that of the applications received, 35 were from GOC registrants and 156 from lay persons. Of the registrant applicants, 15 were DOs and 20 were optometrists.

Dian Taylor, acting registrar and chief executive for the GOC, commented: 'On the whole, the response for both the Council chair and member positions is encouraging.'