Jeremy Corbyn is on track to lose 150 council seats across England in May despite declaring today he hoped the elections would be the 'turning point' for Labour.

Election experts Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher today forecast Labour would score 30 per cent of the vote in town hall elections - nine points worse than when the same seats were contested four years ago.

Such a result would put Mr Corbyn's Labour on course to be the first Opposition to lose council seats in a non-general election year for decades.

The party is also expected to face setbacks in Wales and Scotland. Labour's Sadiq Khan leads the polls in the London Mayor election.

Jeremy Corbyn, pictured today sharing a joke on the doorstep with Harlow resident Laura McAlpine, hit the campaign trail today as he launched his local election battle

Mr Corbyn joined activists to campaign for the Labour Party but polling projections from analysts have suggested he will see losses across the country on May 5

Speaking at his local elections launch today, Mr Corbyn said: 'Let May 5 be the turning point when Labour grew, Labour got support and Labour showed there is a different, much better way of running this country for the good of all, not just the benefit of the very few wealthy people that have had it too easy for too long.'

Mr Corbyn's election co-ordinator Jon Trickett today insisted Labour should use last year's general election as a yardstick - implying anything better than a seven point defeat to the Tories should be seen as positive.

He said: 'The English council seats we are contesting this year were last fought in 2012. The results then were Labour’s best in the local elections since those that took place in 2001 on the same day as Blair’s second landslide election.

'In Britain, politics has become much more fragmented since 2012 with the continued rise of UKIP and nationalist parties in Scotland and Wales.

'At the end of the day, we should be looking for Labour to advance on the 2015 election results, where we finished almost seven per cent points behind the Conservatives.'

But Michael Dugher, the former shadow culture secretary sacked by Mr Corbyn in January, insisted Labour should gain seats in May.

He said today: 'Labour should and must grow in May. Labour should gain at least 400 seats in the local elections.'

Former shadow culture secretary Michael Dugher today insisted Labour should be making progress and gaining seats at May's elections - despite Labour's election coordinator Toby Perkins suggesting any result better than last year's general election battering would represent progress

Mr Corbyn had earlier today called for the local elections to be a 'turning point' that sees Labour grow in a speech to begin his campaign, pictured

Mr Corbyn, who swept to the party leadership last summer after Ed Miliband led Labour to a shock defeat to David Cameron's Conservatives, has been confronted by grim polling results ever since taking over.

Two national polls in recent weeks suggested Labour had reached parity with the Tories - but one of the firms involved, ICM, disavowed their own result as 'rogue'.

And specific polling on the Welsh Assembly and Scottish Parliament elections make grim reading for Labour.

The party is in front in Wales - in constituency polling it holds a 12 point lead over the Tories at 34 per cent.

In Scotland, Labour is far behind the SNP in the battle for power in Holyrood and polls suggest the Tory party is in touching distance of second place

In Wales, Labour is ahead but by less than in the same elections four years ago - meaning the party could lose control of the Welsh Assembly or be forced to govern as a minority

But crucially the lead does not appear to be enough for Labour to hold control of the Welsh Assembly. The party currently holds exactly half of the 60 seats meaning any losses could remove Carwyn Jones as first minister.

In Scotland, the SNP holds a commanding lead over all other parties in Holyrood polls.

Labour is trapped in a dog fight with the Conservatives for second place.

The most recent poll for top-up list seats puts the parties neck and neck on 18 per cent - which if Labour finishes slightly ahead on constituency results might be enough to make the Tories' Ruth Davidson opposition leader in Scotland.

The one bright spot for Labour in May could be London where Mr Khan holds an eight point lead over his Conservative rival Zac Goldsmith.