Examples of where inflation eased last month – and where it accelerated
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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).
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.
