charles47
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The government ties benefits to the rate of inflation but you have to remember two things:
1. The headline rate of inflation also includes DVD players and other electrical/electronic goods, whose prices are generally stable and have recently been coming down. This offsets to some extent against food and other prices, which are far more volatile.
2. The inflation rate is always checked monthly, but the benefits are "uprated" on the basis of the September figures. There are two reasons for this. Firstly, the government sets the budget, to all intents and purposes, between September and November, when the local authority spending limits are set ready for the following financial year (1st April). Secondly, if you check the inflation figures regularly, they are always lowest in September, mainly because more people are on holiday during the previous months and the sales start in earnest to get them spending again.
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