Labour can do well in next month’s crucial county council election despite the party’s poor showing in the polls, shadow chancellor John McDonnell has insisted.

Mr McDonnell spent the day on the campaign trail in Kent, starting with a visit to Gravesend before finishing with a rally at Folkestone.

He said Labour needed to underline that it was the party that would create jobs and boost investment in the region by ensuring that infrastructure investment was more equal.

“People in this area feel that the investment had not happened.If you look at the figures about how money is distributed from Westminster, London is getting £3,000 per head... in areas like this it is £1,000. inevitably what happens is that London outpaces and out-compete the rest of the country. That is unfair.”

Asked what Labour would do to address the crisis in adult social care, he said: “We would not have cut social care by £4.6m in the way they did in 2010.”

"Social care is on the brink of collapse in many areas and the money that has been allocated is insufficient.”

He said he additional cash injection promised by the government of £2bn was insufficient.

“It doesn't go anywhere near what is needed at the moment.Social care is on the brink of collapse in many areas and the money that has been allocated is insufficient.”

Labour would find the money needed from stopping what he described as tax giveaways to the corporations and the rich. “That amounts to £70bn. If you stop giving away money these tax cuts to these corporations, you will be able to afford social care that we need.”

But Mr McDonnell was repeatedly interrupted by one audience member at the Pent Valley leisure centre in Folkestone asking why the party had accepted donations from some of these businesses in the past. Mr McDonnell replied that once Jeremy Corbyn had been elected leader that had stopped.

On education funding he said that school should not be forced to address funding shortfalls by asking parents for regular contributions.

“Schools should be funded through general taxation and I feel sorry for the teachers and governors who are under so much pressure.”

He dismissed speculation that poor results in the election would raise a question mark over Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership.

“They are not going to turn out badly for us. I heard these predictions before but before I think we will do well. UKIP are imploding, their major funder is walking away from them they have lost their one MP and now Mark Reckless has joined the Tories, so I think they are in a terminal condition.”