Living standards fell in 2015, ONS figures show
by Larry Elliott from on (#1AFRR)
Office for National Statistics says rise previously reported did not reflect how family incomes had changed in cash terms
The political debate in the UK about living standards has been given a fresh twist by new figures from the Office for National Statistics showing a decline in household incomes last year.
The ONS said that a previously announced 2.5% rise in real, inflation-adjusted incomes in 2015 - the biggest increase since 2001 - had been the result of estimates of the non-cash benefits households receive from being owner occupiers.
Related: Soaring pensions lift UK living standards to pre-recession levels
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