Registration fees increase approved

An increase in registration fees of 5.56% to £380 for optometrists, dispensing opticians and body corporates was approved at the General Optical Council’s latest council meeting on December 7.

The GOC agreed on a below-inflation increase in the main registration fee for 2023-2024 and noted that fees were frozen for the last three years at £360. For 2023-2024, fees for students remained the same and the discount for low-income fees increased by £20 to keep the fee at £260.

A GOC statement said: ‘This increase in fees will ensure the GOC can continue to fulfil its statutory remit and protect the public by upholding high standards in the optical professions, while sensibly managing risks in a climate of increasingly financial and economic volatility.’