For airline pilots, fees are reclaimable, so since CAA shut its medical centre, 3 AME practices covering London area have "merged" and increased rates considerably - so much so that they definitely won't disappear any time soon.
Unfortunately they also increased the cost of a Class 2 by more than 50%, so I've had to find a new local guy at a reasonable rate, rather than take the long drive to expensive Gatwick.......