This Guardian editorial examines the accountability gap facing Andy Burnham's proposed devolution plans, which would grant England's mayors significant new powers and money, including a share of local income tax. The piece argues that while Burnham is right to want to shift power away from Whitehall towards communities, the local scrutiny infrastructure needed to keep such power in check has been steadily eroded, most notably by the 2015 abolition of the Audit Commission, leaving a governance vacuum that has already produced council bankruptcies and scandals.

The editorial cites the Teesworks development under Tory mayor Ben Houchen as a warning example, where a 2024 government report found a "culture of excessive confidentiality". It welcomes recent moves such as making mayoral chief executives "local accounting officers" and the 2026 devolution bill's creation of a Local Audit Office, but argues these do not go far enough, backing the idea of "local public accounts committees" modelled on Westminster's version. It also flags the decline of local journalism, noting 4.4 million people in Britain live without a dedicated local news outlet, and suggests a tax on social media firms to fund local reporting as one possible remedy.