I am very pleased that the prime minister’s announcement puts councils at the heart of improving local schools. Providing this is handled intelligently, the requirement to act on the concerns of parents is not a difficulty; it is exactly the kind of relationship we want between communities, their elected representatives and local schools.

These sensible measures are in direct contrast to the Tories’ plans for Swedish-style free schools, which take local democracy out of the equation altogether. Sweden is already rethinking the policy, as there is evidence that without a strategic overview, communities have become divided. Indeed, these criticisms were raised in parliament by Tory local government’s own spokesman on education.

Of course, the best-performing councils intervene in struggling schools well before parental pressure obliges them to get involved. Nevertheless, before councils are required to intervene in a school, there should be a combination of both parental dissatisfaction and reported low standards, to ensure that resources are properly directed. That should apply to all local schools, including academies, where there are concerns over performance.

We will continue to discuss the details of this with ministers in the run-up to the schools white paper, and as the measures are considered in parliament.

The best way that parents can get involved in their local schools is by becoming a school governor, and we would like to work further with the government to look at ways of encouraging more people to become governors and to support them in that vital role.