The Office for National Statistics (ONS) will begin using CPIH to measure inflation from March 2017.

Unlike the consumer price index, CPIH includes an estimate of housing costs and council tax.

The ONS also announced that it would stop publishing the RPIJ measure of inflation from March 2017.

John Pullinger, chief excecutive at ONS, said:

“We intend to make CPIH the preferred measure from March 2017, by which time all the planned improvements will have been implemented.

I recognise the importance of our preferred inflation measure being of recognised National Statistics status, and to that end we continue to work towards redesignation as early as possible.”