Night club entry fees removed from cost-of-living basket
Night club entry fees have been removed from the way the UK calculates the cost of living.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said it will no longer count night club entry fees as part of the consumer prices index (CPI) inflation, because the number of clubs in the UK has fallen in recent years, while many of those that remain no longer charge entry fees.
The ONS calculates CPI inflation by monitoring a basket of 704 everyday items, which are updated periodically to reflect changes in UK spending habits.
In its new list there are 15 new entries, with 14 items dropping out of the basket.
The data body also said CD-Roms and rewritable DVDs have also both been removed from its basket, reflecting the change in the way computer sales have moved away from physical products.
But the ONS added that computer software, for word processing, antivirus or web design, and downloaded computer games have been added to the basket.
Other additions include coffee pods for new coffee machines, and cream liqueurs such as Baileys Irish Cream.
CPI statistician Phil Gooding, at the ONS, said: "With the number of night clubs charging entry declining, we can no longer justify keeping these fees in the basket."
