Plans would put mayors at forefront of delivering public sector improvements in areas such as health and education

Mayors should be given major new powers, according to a report by the Starmerite thinktank Labour Together, which comes as officials put the finishing touches to a devolution paper due in the coming weeks.

The report recommends using city and regional mayors to road-test new public sector schemes before they are rolled out nationally, and giving them more control over their budgets and allowing them to commission more local public services.