The Markit/CIPS services purchasing managers’ index (PMI) rose to 56.2 last month, from 55.2 in November – the highest level since July 2015.
But inflationary pressure in the sector continued, with prices charged rising at the strongest rate since April 2011.
The BBC report that Markit’s Chris Williamson said it defied fears of a Brexit slowdown.
“At face value, this improvement suggests that the next move by the Bank of England is more likely to be a rate hike than a cut,” he added.
However, Mr Williamson, Markit’s chief economist, said policymakers were “clearly concerned about the extent to which Brexit-related uncertainty could slow growth this year”.
As a result, he said, the Bank’s Monetary Policy Committee would have to consider “the current resilience of the economy” alongside “elevated levels of uncertainty”, meaning that interest rates could go either way.
Economy ‘resilient’
Earlier in the week, surveys in the construction and manufacturing sectors indicated a similar pattern of growth. Mr Williamson said that collectively, the surveys pointed to GDP growth of 0.5% in the fourth quarter of the year.
The “all-sector” PMI rose to 56.4 in December from 55.1 the previous month – itself the highest reading since July 2015. A figure above 50 indicates expansion.
Paul Sirani, chief market analyst at Xtrade, said the latest survey showed the service sector was going “from strength to strength”.
“Strong services data provides a good indication that the UK economy remains resilient amid ongoing Brexit uncertainty. However, greater tests lie ahead,” he added.
“Further changes in the wider political landscape in early 2017 are likely to ask more questions of the robust UK economy, with its response anyone’s guess.”
