General Optical Council seeks views on approach to setting registrant fees
The General Optical Council (GOC) is asking for registrant views on its approach to setting the annual registration renewal fee, in a new discussion paper published today.
The discussion paper seeks views on whether the fees paid by different registrant groups should vary depending on the costs of regulating them and options to better support registrants in managing the costs of registration. The GOC requires a minimum level of income annually to discharge its regulatory functions, but wishes to explore and gain feedback on options for changing how this income is distributed among different registrant groups.
These options fall into five groups:
- Key principles underpinning the approach to setting fees
- Differential fees
- Enhancing payment flexibility
- Business registrant fees
- Providing clarity for registrants
The paper does not seek views on the level of registration fees, which are set by Council each year per the financial strategy 2025-30 to increase fees broadly in line with inflation.
Steve Brooker, Director of Regulatory Strategy, commented:
“The discussion paper delivers on a commitment in our corporate strategy 2025-30 to ‘review our approach to setting registrant fees, enhancing fairness, and delivering value for money.’ Given our strategic objective of creating fairer and more inclusive eye care services, and acknowledging a wider backdrop of difficult economic conditions, we wish to explore options for a fairer model for setting registrant fees. We also want to improve transparency around our fees and explore ways of better supporting registrants in meeting the costs of regulation.”
The discussion paper is available on the GOC consultation hub. The deadline for responses is 20 July 2026. You can either respond via the consultation hub or by contacting [email protected].
