Prime Minister David Cameron will today launch the Conservative Party's local government election campaign with an appeal the government's efforts to bolster tight household incomes through the continued council tax freeze grant.

Speaking in Warwickshire, Mr Cameron is set to trumpet the achievements of Conservative-led local authorities in delivering better services at lower cost, ahead of  the 2 May polls covering 27 county councils and seven unitary authorities in England.

However, many Conservative shires are among the two-fifths of councils, some 164, which declined to take up their share of the government's £450m cash grant to freeze council tax in 2013/14.

Mr Cameron is also set to play up the coalition's achievements on welfare reform, tightening immigration and reducing income tax.

The Green Party, which also begins its local government campaign today, are fielding nearly 1,000 candidates across England and hope to build on the 17 seats already held in places including Oxfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk.

Green Party leader  Natalie Bennett is expected to set out a campaign platform of introducing 20mph speed limits on more roads, protecting the green belt, preventing the development of waste incinerators, supporting a living wage and opposing Coalition welfare cuts.