Concerns have been raised about the General Pharmaceutical Council’s latest proposed fee hikes, which would increase annual registration costs by “well above” the current rate of inflation. 

The GPhC announced today (January 30) the launch of a consultation asking for views on its proposals to increase registration and renewal fees by six per cent across the board for two years running, meaning that:

• Pharmacist renewal fees would rise by £17 to £293 from September 2025, and then to £310 from September 2026
• Pharmacy technician renewal fees would rise by £8 to £138 from September 2025, and then to £146 from September 2026
• Pharmacy premises renewal fees would rise by £24 to £416 from September 2-25, and then to £441 from September 2026.

“These changes are aimed at addressing rising operational costs while ensuring the sustainability of our regulatory services,” the GPhC argued. 

The regulator claimed that without the proposed rise in its registration fee income it “would be forced to cut back on our regulatory work” and pointed out that in both 2022 and 2023 it “managed to avoid fee increases” before making the "difficult decision" to introduce a 7.5 per cent hike from April 2024. 

It added: “According to the Bank of England’s inflation calculator, if annual renewal fees had increased in line with inflation since 2010 the current fees would be £395.58 for pharmacists and £214.40 for pharmacy technicians.”

The consultation, which asks sector stakeholders whether they agree with the GPhC’s approach to raising fees and whether the proposed six per cent hike for both 2025-26 and 2026-27 are reasonable, runs until April 25 this year. 

Commenting on the proposals, Royal Pharmaceutical Society chief Paul Bennett acknowledged the importance of “effective regulation but said: “We remain concerned about the significant increase proposed, which is well above the current rate of inflation of 2.5 per cent. 

“We are mindful of the financial pressures faced by pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, and we will engage constructively with the consultation process to ensure the views of our members are heard.”

The GPhC is obliged to hold a public consultation whenever it plans to introduce registration fee hikes. Previous consultations have attracted overwhelmingly negative responses from the sector, with some raising concerns about how the GPhC spends its money. 

While the GPhC has introduced significant cost-saving measures in recent years, including relocating to smaller London offices, members of its executive team have had apparently substantial pay rises in recent years. 

For example, as of March 2024 chief executive Duncan Rudkin’s annual pay was in the £190,000-£200,000 bracket, compared to the previous year when he took home between £180,000 and £190,000 and 2022 when he earned between £170,000 and £180,000.

Adjudications director Jonathan Bennetts and education director Mark Voce both had similar pay rises between 2023 and 2024.