Councils could be forced to create federations of schools to improve education standards, under government plans to empower parents. Prime minister, Gordon Brown, this week put councils at the heart of education reforms, while also making town halls more accountable to parents for poor standards. Under the plan, the details of which will be published in a White Paper this summer, local authorities could be required to survey parental opinion on schools. If parents are unhappy with local services, town halls could then intervene by getting good schools to assist poor performers. Mr Brown said: ‘Where there is significant dissatisfaction with the pattern of secondary school provision, and where standards across an area are too low, then the local authority will be required to act.' Conservative leader, David Cameron, has already proposed allowing parents to establish their own schools if they are dissatisfied with local standards. Cllr John Merry, education spokesman at the LGA Labour group, said a requirement to act on parental opinion was ‘exactly the kind of relationship we want between communities, their elected representatives and local schools'. Councils' immediate response was muted. One town hall leader said: ‘This looks localist in tone, but very convenient for ministers, and like a lot of hard graft for local authorities.'