GPs will have to pay higher fees to renew their licences from April next year after the General Medical Council (GMC) voted to put up its charges by 7.69 per cent at a board meeting last week.

The decision to increase the current fee of £420 a year was taken by board members who pointed out that it was the first rise in five years. However, it was discovered via a Freedom of Information Act (FOI) request, through which the increase was made known, that six senior members of staff at the GMC all earn more than Prime Minister David Cameron.

Describing the increase as “disappointing”, GP leaders said that every penny counts when it comes to balancing the books at GP practices. However, a spokesman for the GMC said that the rise is to meet increased demand.

Speaking on behalf of the General Practitioners’ Committee (GPC), Deputy Chair, Dr Richard Vautrey said that GP practices are struggling and that bills are coming in from every angle, so the increase will be difficult.

Meanwhile, in response to the discovery of the salaries being paid to senior members of staff, a spokesman for the organisation said that these are overseen by the remuneration committee and published on the GMC website. The remuneration committee takes external specialist advice to ensure that the GMC benchmarks its salary levels against comparable organisations.

He added that the salaries on offer reflect the fact that the GMC is a high performing organisation operating in a highly competitive environment and must take into account the need to offer the right salaries to ensure the recruitment and retention of high quality senior staff.