Dudley LOC are committed to being open and honest about the fees it pays itself.
We would like to encourage anyone who wants to be active in trying to shape the future of optometry in Dudley to join the committee.
The work of the LOC is funded by a statutory levy. This is collected as a percentage of sight test fees. The LOC is committed to trying to keep this figure down. In order to achieve this aim the levy was decreased to 1.9% at the 2023 AGM.
Of this, 0.5% is collected to fund the LOC Support unit. LOCSU has provided valuable resources to Dudley LOC, as well as providing a national voice for optometry. Authorisation for this payment is sought at every AGM.
LOC committee members receive payments for work done for the LOC in the form of expenses. From 2023 these are agreed by the committee at the first meeting after the AGM, when they were increased for the first time since 2015. In 2024 it was agreed moving forward to increase fees in line with GOS1 fee.
They are calculated as follows:
LOC committee meetings attendance fee: £81.50
Time out of practice on LOC Business: £71.25 per hour up to a maximum of £407 per day. If attending a meeting on a non-work day/on a day of annual leave however a rate of £51 per hour up to a maximum of £407 per day will be paid. This includes time spent travelling to and from meetings, but not time spent “socialising” at meetings.
Meetings outside of work time (including on a day off/annual leave), and admin work at any time, is reimbursed at £51 per hour up to a maximum of £407 per day.
If a meeting is cancelled with less than 24 hours notice then this can be claimed at the normal admin rate of £50 per hour.
Travelling expenses – 45p per mile OR cost of rail ticket etc.
It was also agreed in 2024 to scrap honoraria payments for the Chair, Secretary and Treasurer, with those officers instead claiming for time spent on tasks.
LOC Accounts are maintained by the Treasurer and professionally audited annually.
Accounts
Below are previous accounts. These are not official till agreed at the following AGM.
Older accounts available on request