The slight drop last month in the overall rate of inflation to 2.5% was driven by changes in the cost of transport, household furniture and live entertainment, offset by prices rising for certain items such as children’s shoes, butter and eggs.
Transport was responsible for some of the biggest movements in prices, with the average cost of air travel dropping 26% year-on-year in December, compared with no change in November, while the cost of bus and coach travel rose by just 0.7%, much slower than the jump of 5.7% in November.
Inflation also slowed for the cost of hotels and other accommodation, rising 2.5% year-on-year in December compared with 5.2% in November, while the price of cinema, theatre and concert tickets was up 4.7% in December compared with 9.7% in November, according to figures published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
(PA Graphics)
Prices fell faster in December than November for a handful of household essentials: carpets and rugs (down 2.9% year-on-year in December, down 1.3% in November), lighting equipment (down 4.8% in December, down 2.8% in November) and irons (down 10.1% in December, down 8.2% in November).
Washing machines and dishwashers swung from positive inflation in November (up 3.6%) to negative inflation in December (down 2.8%), while heaters and air conditioners swung the other direction, from negative (down 0.2%) to positive (up 2.6%).
This trend was also evident in the average price of second-hand cars, which fell year-on-year in November by 1.3% but rose in December by 1.0%, bringing to an end a run of 16 months where second-hand cars recorded negative annual inflation.
Among everyday groceries, the price of pizza and quiche dropped faster in December (down 4.6% year-on-year) than November (down 1.8%), as did the average cost of herbs and sauces (down 3.2% in December, down 2.1% in November), while the cost of low-fat milk and rice fell at the same rate in both months (down 0.2% and down 2.7% respectively).
Moving in the opposite direction were chocolate, up 11.7% year-on-year in price in December, a faster rate than 9.9% in November; butter (up 10.2% in December, up 7.7% in November); children’s footwear (up 4.6% in December, up 1.9% in November) and fresh or chilled fish (up 3.4% in December, up 1.2% in November).
Both petrol and diesel recorded a negative rate of inflation last month, but by a smaller margin than in November, reflecting a rise in the cost of filling up at the pumps.
The average price of petrol in December was down 4.6% year-on-year, compared with a fall of 10.7% the previous month, while diesel fell 5.8% compared with a previous drop of 11.6%.
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Below is a list of examples of how the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) inflation rate has eased or accelerated.
Two figures are listed for each item: the average rise in price in the 12 months to November, followed by the average rise in price in the 12 months to December.
– Examples where inflation has eased, ranked by the size of the change:
Passenger air travel: November unchanged, December down 26.0%Washing machines and dishwashers: Nov up 3.6%, Dec down 2.8%Passenger transport by bus and coach: Nov up 5.7%, Dec up 0.7%Cinemas, theatres, concerts: Nov up 9.7%, Dec up 4.7%Cigarettes: Nov up 12.3%, Dec up 8.9%Pizza and quiche: Nov down 1.8%, Dec down 4.6%Hotels and similar accommodation: Nov up 5.2%, Dec up 2.5%Sugar: Nov up 1.8%, Dec down 0.6%Children’s clothes: Nov up 0.5%, Dec down 1.6%Coffee machines and tea makers: Nov up 0.7%, Dec down 0.8%Men’s clothes: Nov up 2.6%, Dec up 1.5%Women’s clothes: Nov up 4.4%, Dec up 3.4%Cheese and curd: Nov up 1.5%, Dec up 0.9%Bread: Nov up 1.6%, Dec up 1.2%
– Examples where inflation has accelerated:
Ice cream: November up 0.8%, December up 3.9%Heaters and air conditioners: Nov down 0.2%, Dec up 2.6%Children’s footwear: Nov up 1.9%, Dec up 4.6%Butter: Nov up 7.7%, Dec up 10.2%Dried fruit and nuts: Nov up 4.0%, Dec up 6.4%Second-hand cars: Nov down 1.3%, Dec up 1.0%Fresh or chilled fish: Nov up 1.2%, Dec up 3.4%Chocolate: Nov up 9.9%, Dec up 11.7%Crisps: Nov up 0.5%, Dec up 2.0%Confectionery products: Nov up 4.3%, Dec up 5.5%Fresh or chilled fruit: Nov up 2.1%, Dec up 3.1%Spirits: Nov up 1.7%, Dec up 2.4%Eggs: Nov up 3.9%, Dec up 4.6%