Control of England's key public services, including the NHS, should be handed to 38 ‘super councils' responsible for spending an extra £102bn annually, a dramatic new report on devolution has suggested.

A study published by the right-wing think-tank Reform today argues that a radical new structure for public services control and delivery is required if England is to tackle the ‘postcode lottery' which ensures that 40% more people in the North die from preventable causes than in the south-east of the country.