GOC reports revenue rise

Revenue received by the General Optical Council from the large rise in professional retention fees for 2009-2010 over the previous year gave the body almost £1m in additional revenue for the year ending March 31 2010.

According to its published accounts for the financial year 2009-10, the GOC received £4,000,410 from retention fees during 2010 in comparison to £3,052,485 in 2009.

Other figures revealed in the financial accounts showed that the GOC's overall staff employment costs increased to £1,773,739 from £1,584,950 and the number of staff climbed from 30 to 36 people. The cost of the GOC's fitness to practise investigations climbed to £678,650 in 2010 in comparison to £447,826 the previous year.