The human cost behind the statistics

Figures may conceal some worrying trends affecting households already under stress from unemployment and tax hikes, writes Mary Lambkin

THE latest figures from the Consumer Price index (CPI) for December — up by 0.2% compared to the previous month, and up 1.3% compared to December last year — doesn’t, on the face of it, sound like much of an increase, certainly not enough to get excited about.

It is still much lower than Britain and most other industrialised countries. British inflation soared to an eight-month high of 3.7% last month and is now the highest of any nation in the G7 group by more than a percentage point. British inflation is thought likely to climb higher still in January after an increase in VAT to 20% from 17.5%.