OpenCharities

General Optical Council

Country
England & Wales
Charity number
1150137
Status
Registered
Registered
Dec. 12, 2012
Legal form
Other
Area of benefit
England And Wales

Address

Address
General Optical Council
Part Floor 29
1 Canada Square
LONDON
E14 5AA

Contact

Activities

We are the regulator for the optical professions in the UK. Our statutory role is to protect and promote the health and safety of members of the public by promoting high standards of professional education, conduct and performance among our registrants. We currently register around 26,000 optometrists, dispensing opticians, student opticians and optical businesses.

Objects: To Promote And Maintain The Health And Safety Of Members Of The Public By Promoting High Standards Of Professional Education, Conduct And Performance Among Optometrists And Dispensing Opticians, And Those Training To Be Optometrists And Dispensing Opticians, And In Particular: (A) By The Maintenance Of Registers Of The Names Of Persons Who Are Fit To Practise As Optometrists Or Dispensing Opticians, Or To Undertake Training To Enable Them To Become Optometrists Or Opticians;(b) By Defining, Creating And Maintaining An Effective Structure For Professional Education And Training Among Optometrists And Dispensing Opticians And Among Persons Seeking To Qualify As Optometrists Or Dispensing Opticians, And Supervising The Provision Of Such Education And Training;(c) By Ensuring That Only Those Who Are Fit To Practise As Optometrists Or Dispensing Opticians, Or To Train For Such Practice, In Fact Do So;(d) By The Provision Of Appropriate Advice And Guidance To Those Who Are Fit To Practise As Optometrists Or Dispensing Opticians, Or To Train For Such Practice.

Classification

How
Provides Services, Provides Advocacy/advice/information, Sponsors Or Undertakes Research
What
Education/training, The Advancement Of Health Or Saving Of Lives
Who
Other Defined Groups, The General Public/mankind

Areas of operation

Country
Northern Ireland, Scotland
Region
Throughout England And Wales

Finances

Period end Income Expenditure Assets Employees
March 31, 2025 £12,176,749 £13,110,337 £7,995,000 112
March 31, 2024 £11,227,000 £11,971,000 £8,735,000 104
March 31, 2023 £10,340,000 £10,538,000 £8,857,000 102
March 31, 2022 £10,037,000 £9,493,000 £9,613,000 87
March 31, 2021 £11,681,000 £8,593,000 £8,627,000 83

Trustees

Name Appointed
Catherine Yelf April 1, 2025
Dr Anne Wright CBE Feb. 17, 2021
Frank Munro July 5, 2021
Kalwant Singh Grewal Feb. 1, 2026
Kathryn Ann Foreman Oct. 1, 2024
Lisa Gerson May 1, 2021
Poonam Sharma April 1, 2025
Professor Hema Radhakrishnan March 15, 2024
Raymond Curran April 1, 2025
Ros Leveson April 1, 2025
Timothy Parkinson April 16, 2020
William Stockdale Jan. 1, 2023