England’s mayors should be given sweeping new powers, says devolution expert

Exclusive: Burnham-aligned thinktank calls for devolution of public services including social care, childcare and skills

Mayors should be given power over a wide range of public services, including social care, childcare and skills, according to a paper written by one of the people helping shape Andy Burnham’s devolution plans.

JP Spencer, the head of devolution policy at the thinktank ThinkLabour, calls for mayors to take control over large parts of service provision in a paper that gives an indication of how the probable next prime minister could seek to shift power out of Whitehall.