Essex-based internet personality Simon Harris has come under scrutiny after it was revealed that he retained approximately £367,000 in public funds allocated to him for managing Facebook

groups and conducting various tasks during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Essex County Council justified the payment as a measure of "expediency" in reaching out to residents, although Mr. Harris claimed the funds covered more than just updating social media content.

Opposition politicians on the council are demanding an urgent inquiry into the matter. Mike Mackrory, the leader of the Liberal Democrat opposition, called for an extraordinary meeting to discuss the circumstances surrounding Harris's engagement with the council, while Labour opposition councillor Aidan McGurran expressed concern over the substantial spending on social media amplification during the pandemic.

In response to inquiries, the council disclosed a detailed list of payments made to Harris between March 2020 and April 2023. It was revealed that Harris passed on at least £163,190 to sub-contractors involved in a Facebook support campaign during the pandemic, retaining the remaining £530,000 as payment for his services.

The council acknowledged a lack of full compliance with the declaration of interest process regarding the payments but maintained there was no evidence of illegal or unlawful spending under the existing rules. However, it admitted to a lack of spend approval evidence for almost £40,000, including over £6,000 paid to Harris.

The council confirmed that almost £1 million was paid to "social media suppliers" between April 2017 and March 2024. It also acknowledged that its former head of strengthening communities, Kirsty O'Callaghan, approved most of Harris's payments.

Despite efforts to reach her, O'Callaghan could not be contacted for comment.

Harris, known for organizing various campaigns, including climate action work, defended the funds he retained, emphasizing the broad scope of his services. He highlighted the success of the Essex Coronavirus Action Facebook page, later renamed Essex is United, in recruiting volunteers to support shielding and vaccination efforts during the pandemic.

The council spokesperson addressed questions about why its communications team was not involved in the social media campaigns, explaining that the activity was brought back in-house from March. The spokesperson emphasized the importance of the pre-pandemic commissioned work in developing online digital communities for public health messaging and behavior change, particularly during a national emergency. The majority of the spending, the spokesperson noted, came from central government grants. Photo by Richard Kelly, Wikimedia commons.