Simon Harris #6 Even the Duke of Marlborough only charges £4.99 for a tea towel

[Pkershaw]

Yeah he’s been very lax on the “housekeeping” of comments on his own page

The mental gymnastics these people go through to try and justify a conman just because he’s on their “side”. Apparently Simon has such a big profile that somebody, (not sure who) would use him as a distraction tactic. Presumably that’s the evil tories doing that. The tories exposing the tories for wasting public money….hang on

 

[CookieZippy]

And the stuff about why he vanished from social media - the tightness in his chest, waking up drenched in sweat, not eating properly. That sounds a lot more like a description of a man who's been caught doing stuff he knows he shouldn't have and is now terrified than a man that can confidently say he has done nothing wrong and can prove it.

Also, letting his twitter account die by accident by leaving if deactivated more than 30 days. No social media "expert" would let that happen by accident.

 

[MurielSnark]

Aup he's published an essay
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The inherent problem with this diatribe is that Harris is framing the questions and, accordingly, the answers. He's deliberately obtuse on some key issues so most of this is just waffle.

Even assuming that this approach to contracting out a piece of work was legit (which is doubtful), some questions I'd like answers to:

1. How was the contract publicised originally and how many contractors applied for it? Why was Harris the successful bidder; what specifically did Harris offer that other applicants didn't?
2. What was the full scope of work, including deliverables, timelines, impact evaluation, sub-contractors and payment terms?
3. Who was overseeing the work for the Council and how did the reporting work from Harris to the Council, and within the Council itself?
4. How did Harris fulfill that scope of work and was this satisfactory?
5. What exactly did the subcontractors do and what were the terms under which they were hired? How much was paid to each subcontractor and when? Did they deliver the work to a satisfactory standard?
6. If there was a Covid public health remit for this project, how did Harris work with the Council public health and communications teams? How were messages created, how were they targeted to specific demographics, what measurable outcomes could be attached to this work?
7. What were the payment terms? Was payment attached to specific outputs, with a final payment based on satisfactory completion and impact?
8. During the project, how was the work being monitored and assessed? Was there any need to course correct or change the scope during the project, if there was evidence that its impact could be improved?
9. At the end of the project, how was its impact assessed? Where there measurable outcomes that would demonstrate efficacy, engagement, behaviour change, value for money etc? (Giving a presentation to Google does not count as impact Simon. And counting how many people liked a FB post is not an outcome either -- the question is what people did after they clicked.)
10. He's mentioned several times that there is some ongoing police matter. What is this and why on earth are the police involved in a local govt communications project?

This attempt to deflect criticism shows poor judgement and a lack of understanding of what a strategic public health campaign is. I would not hire this man to do anything in the public sector, nor would I trust him to run a complex project, with multiple reporting lines, a large budget and important social reach.

 

[lilykestrel]

The inherent problem with this diatribe is that Harris is framing the questions and, accordingly, the answers. He's deliberately obtuse on some key issues so most of this is just waffle.

Even assuming that this approach to contracting out a piece of work was legit (which is doubtful), some questions I'd like answers to:

1. How was the contract publicised originally and how many contractors applied for it? Why was Harris the successful bidder; what specifically did Harris offer that other applicants didn't?
2. What was the full scope of work, including deliverables, timelines, impact evaluation, sub-contractors and payment terms?
3. Who was overseeing the work for the Council and how did the reporting work from Harris to the Council, and within the Council itself?
4. How did Harris fulfill that scope of work and was this satisfactory?
5. What exactly did the subcontractors do and what were the terms under which they were hired? How much was paid to each subcontractor and when? Did they deliver the work to a satisfactory standard?
6. If there was a Covid public health remit for this project, how did Harris work with the Council public health and communications teams? How were messages created, how were they targeted to specific demographics, what measurable outcomes could be attached to this work?
7. What were the payment terms? Was payment attached to specific outputs, with a final payment based on satisfactory completion and impact?
8. During the project, how was the work being monitored and assessed? Was there any need to course correct or change the scope during the project, if there was evidence that its impact could be improved?
9. At the end of the project, how was its impact assessed? Where there measurable outcomes that would demonstrate efficacy, engagement, behaviour change, value for money etc? (Giving a presentation to Google does not count as impact Simon. And counting how many people liked a FB post is not an outcome either -- the question is what people did after they clicked.)
10. He's mentioned several times that there is some ongoing police matter. What is this and why on earth are the police involved in a local govt communications project?

This attempt to deflect criticism shows poor judgement and a lack of understanding of what a strategic public health campaign is. I would not hire this man to do anything in the public sector, nor would I trust him to run a complex project, with multiple reporting lines, a large budget and important social reach.

he shook King (Prince at the time) Charles's hand, Muriel. That's all we need to know.

 

[Serrated84]

Has he mentioned anywhere in his essay about the bounce back loan without accounts being submitted? I have skimmed it, but couldn't see that mentioned

 

[CookieZippy]

Has he mentioned anywhere in his essay about the bounce back loan without accounts being submitted? I have skimmed it, but couldn't see that mentioned

No chance!

Everything's ok it seems. There was £163,000 that he didn't keep. How noble of the man.

 

[lilykestrel]

he also missed out one question/answer, which I assume is subsumed into the "can't talk much about this"

why did you go on to become a content director at a company registered on Companies House to said council official who kept giving you work, a company that went on to contract with a different county council

and why did the website suddenly disappear

 

[Mr Krabs]

The main thing I got from this whinge fest is that he really bleeping hates being called a prankster.

Crawl back into your hole, Simon, you insufferable, tedious, unfunny, misogynist, wank stain of a PRANKSTER.

Doesn’t want to be seen as some sort of Jeremy Beale figure. Nobody is thinking that hun. Jeremy Beale was funny and charismatic. And his pranks were actually amusing, not just tricking some dumb journo grad working for Reach into writing a shite article about schools banning pencils or something.

Notice he didn’t complain about being called a prankster when he was being brown nosed by the press.

Prankster who fooled likes of Katie Hopkins looks back on reign of mischief

A man who has pranked some of the country’s most prominent figures whilst raising thousands for charity has looked back on his career.

www.echo-news.co.uk

 

[CookieZippy]

"Reign of Mischief" indeed.

Cheer up Si, prankster is better than twit at least.

 

[Fred Santos]

Has he mentioned anywhere in his essay about the bounce back loan without accounts being submitted? I have skimmed it, but couldn't see that mentioned

That would be a no

 

[Ronlonglegs]

Every time he posts on fb now I wanna comment just get an effing job mate. Get off ur ass stop pretending to be a content creator. You have had your moment now piss off and get a god forsaken job

 

[CookieZippy]

Content creator is what really grinds with me. A good 75% of it is all stolen.

As for the £163k that he gave away, is it safe to assume most if not all of that went to Kirsty?

 

[Lobster Johnson]

Content creator is what really grinds with me. A good 75% of it is all stolen.

As for the £163k that he gave away, is it safe to assume most if not all of that went to Kirsty?

“I never thought to ask why I had to give away a 3rd of my income”

I’m sure all of that had tax paid on it.

 

[HotesTilaire]

The inherent problem with this diatribe is that Harris is framing the questions and, accordingly, the answers. He's deliberately obtuse on some key issues so most of this is just waffle.

Even assuming that this approach to contracting out a piece of work was legit (which is doubtful), some questions I'd like answers to:

1. How was the contract publicised originally and how many contractors applied for it? Why was Harris the successful bidder; what specifically did Harris offer that other applicants didn't?
2. What was the full scope of work, including deliverables, timelines, impact evaluation, sub-contractors and payment terms?
3. Who was overseeing the work for the Council and how did the reporting work from Harris to the Council, and within the Council itself?
4. How did Harris fulfill that scope of work and was this satisfactory?
5. What exactly did the subcontractors do and what were the terms under which they were hired? How much was paid to each subcontractor and when? Did they deliver the work to a satisfactory standard?
6. If there was a Covid public health remit for this project, how did Harris work with the Council public health and communications teams? How were messages created, how were they targeted to specific demographics, what measurable outcomes could be attached to this work?
7. What were the payment terms? Was payment attached to specific outputs, with a final payment based on satisfactory completion and impact?
8. During the project, how was the work being monitored and assessed? Was there any need to course correct or change the scope during the project, if there was evidence that its impact could be improved?
9. At the end of the project, how was its impact assessed? Where there measurable outcomes that would demonstrate efficacy, engagement, behaviour change, value for money etc? (Giving a presentation to Google does not count as impact Simon. And counting how many people liked a FB post is not an outcome either -- the question is what people did after they clicked.)
10. He's mentioned several times that there is some ongoing police matter. What is this and why on earth are the police involved in a local govt communications project?

This attempt to deflect criticism shows poor judgement and a lack of understanding of what a strategic public health campaign is. I would not hire this man to do anything in the public sector, nor would I trust him to run a complex project, with multiple reporting lines, a large budget and important social reach.

He doesnt know about how Local Gov do things. HTH.
Although he surely has the invoices which show how much his company was paid. Maybe that’s what the police are looking at…

 

[lilykestrel]

it's interesting how he chooses to centre the 'paying volunteers'/'people onboarding volunteers'.

According to the ECC documents, £16,640.95 went to volunteers. That's give or take 10% of the £163,190.95. There were 28 onwards payments categorised as vaccination centre duties, from March - September 2021.

So the only record he has is that they asked him in July 2021 if he'd be prepared to administer onward funds. Despite the fact he'd been administering onward funds for vaccination duties since, according to the spreadsheet, 22 March 2021.
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I mean why on earth you wouldn't get an agreement/anything about something that serious in writing is anybody's guess (or conjecture)

 

[Pkershaw]

he also missed out one question/answer, which I assume is subsumed into the "can't talk much about this"

why did you go on to become a content director at a company registered on Companies House to said council official who kept giving you work, a company that went on to contract with a different county council

and why did the website suddenly disappear

This is the big elephant in the room which won’t get a mention. His involvement with Social Kindsocialness, why he thinks it’s appropriate to receive enormous public sector contacts from a colleague who owns a private company that he works for, how they took the grift over to Suffolk and charged £130,000 for the equally turgid Together for Suffolk, and the NHS…. Etc etc.

That’s all way too murky. It’s the one part of his Bore and Peace ramble that I did read as I couldn’t wait to see how he addressed it. Basically a long, over-written way of saying nothing and doing a classic Harris duck and dive, “I’ve sought legal advice on this.”

That may quickly become the new, “I have a police report outstanding.”

 

[HotesTilaire]

On what basis was he making the payments?

Volunteers do not require payment, that’s the nature of…volunteering

Volunteers usually have expenses to cover, but that requires a receipt to claim back.

These volunteers may have been severely underpaid employees, and were entitled to minimum wage, holiday, sick, contract etc…and what about the Tax and NI and Pension…

 

[lilykestrel]

On what basis was he making the payments?

Volunteers do not require payment, that’s the nature of…volunteering

Volunteers usually have expenses to cover, but that requires a receipt to claim back

These volunteers may have been severely underpaid employees, and were entitled to minimum wage, holiday, sick, contract etc…and what about the Tax and NI and Pension…

it's really murky, this from the Essex.gov.uk publishing from a few months back

so not volunteers, but people who were co-ordinating and onboarding volunteers.

WFK
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'to pay people who were helping to', you mean people you were employing? Bloody hope HMRC are aware

 

[HotesTilaire]

it's really murky, this from the Essex.gov.uk publishing from a few months back

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so not volunteers, but people who were co-ordinating and onboarding volunteers.

WFK
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'to pay people who were helping to', you mean people you were employing? Bloody hope HMRC are aware

That confirms it was employment
- no recruitment process
- unclear what wage was paid
- unclear how tax/NI deductions were made when Simon “gave it away”

 

[Aliceboo]

This is why it's all so fucked up, so many questions with no answers. Essex County Council knows next to nothing as nothing was recorded and a lot of the contacts were verbal contracts. It's a complete tit show. Kirsty was just chucking public money at Simon and there were no processes in place to stop her doing that.

Simon and Jon Morter are both cut from the same cloth. Both had a teeny tiny bit of fame using Facebook for comedy and they now think they are social media God's. I think they truly believe the whole thing was valuable and Simon certainly feels it was worth all of the money

In reality they are just two blokes with no talent or skills bleeping around on Facebook. They will never get any paid social media work again.