A council paid an internet prankster nearly £500,000 to run a Facebook page during the pandemic in a bid to “engage” the local community.
Simon Harris, a self-professed “anti-Tory”, was contracted by the Conservative-controlled Essex county council to run a Facebook community group in an attempt to reach residents who had ignored previous messaging.
Harris was paid £493,000 in 34 instalments by the cash-strapped council, which announced on Tuesday that council tax was being raised by five per cent after recent “significant financial pressures”.
The council said Harris was tasked with encouraging people to adhere to Covid restrictions and providing updates around preventing the spread of the virus.
One resident wrote on Facebook: “I can’t believe this. When families are struggling to pay their way through life, believing we are all in this together. Clearly, we are not.”
Joe Ventre, from TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “Wasting taxpayers’ money like this is no laughing matter. Essex council owe it to local households to crack down on waste and focus funds on frontline services.”
Harris made a name for himself with a satirical Southend spoof news site in 2015.
Lee Anderson, the Tory party vice chairman, mocked the comedian on X, after being the subject of Harris’ content last year: “Oh dear, Is this the same Simon Harris who has been trolling me for the past year? Sending my best wishes to Simon at this difficult time.”
Harris told the Essex Live website: “The page was also utilised by local NHS services to amplify their own messaging about a variety of topics and this has continued until the present day.”
Essex council said “ECC had an established relationship with Simon Harris as a contractor. This piece of work was vital in getting to the heart of communities in Essex and was particularly important during the pandemic, when information had to be delivered at speed.”
Since Harris’ involvement with Essex came to light, he has deleted his social media accounts.