Essex County Council Faces Backlash Over £15,000 Facebook Campaign with Just 189 Followers, Reveals Ineffective Spending and Poor Contract Management
Fiona Nanna, ForeMedia News
6 minutes read. Updated 1:00PM GMT Sat, 27July, 2024
Essex County Council’s £15,000 expenditure on a Facebook page with just 189 followers has sparked widespread criticism, raising questions about the council’s social media spending strategies. The scrutiny comes amidst broader concerns over the effectiveness and financial prudence of the council’s digital marketing efforts.
Overview of Social Media Spending
The comprehensive review, conducted by the council’s Audit, Governance, and Standards Committee, reveals that Essex County Council’s social media campaigns, which cost over £500,000, were deemed “not value for money.” The findings highlight multiple issues, including poor engagement rates and inadequate management of the campaigns.
The funds were allocated to Simon Harris, a digital creator and internet prankster, tasked with setting up and managing various Facebook pages during and after the pandemic. Harris, who has yet to respond formally to the report, expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of opportunity to address the criticisms.
Detailed Report Findings
The report details several Facebook groups and pages that were set up as part of the campaign:
- “This is Your Life”: £70,000 was spent on this page, which only garnered 1,300 links and 1,500 followers. Despite the substantial investment, engagement was minimal.
- “Never Too Late Mate”: With an expenditure of £15,000, this page attracted 6,100 likes and 6,900 followers. However, it experienced “minimal engagement” in the past two years.
- “Essex is Smoke Free”: Despite a £5,000 investment, this page had just 174 followers.
- “Essex Supports Veterans”: This page, which cost £15,100, had only 189 followers and almost no engagement.
Labour committee member Aidan McGurran condemned the low engagement levels, describing the situation as a “shocking waste of money” and criticizing the governance surrounding the campaigns. He specifically pointed out Kirsty O’Callaghan, the council’s former head of strengthening communities, for her role in the setup of these arrangements. O’Callaghan, who had approved payments to individuals with whom she had prior connections, has not responded to media inquiries.
Issues with Contracts and Procurement
The draft report also criticizes the quality of the contracts issued to Harris. The contracts were poorly drafted, lacking clear obligations and details necessary for evaluating performance. Furthermore, there was no evidence of a competitive procurement process or due diligence prior to awarding the contracts.
Simon Harris was responsible for managing multiple Facebook pages, including the Essex Coronavirus Action page, which was later rebranded as Essex is United. Despite transferring at least £163,190 to subcontractors, Harris retained the remaining portion of the £530,000 payment received for his services from 2019 to 2023.
Harris defended his work, pointing out that the county council’s chief executive had previously endorsed the campaign’s value. He provided performance data indicating that the “This Is Your Life” page had achieved 2.5 million impressions before its discontinuation in 2023. Regarding “Essex Supports Veterans,” Harris claimed that low impressions were due to a lack of content provided by the council, and that he was not informed of any dissatisfaction with the work.
The report underscores significant concerns about the management and efficacy of Essex County Council’s social media campaigns. The financial outlays, coupled with poor engagement metrics and questionable contract management, have led to heightened scrutiny and calls for improved governance in public spending.
