Essex Council Pays Comedian Nearly £500k for 'Vital' Social Media COVID Work
• Essex Council paid online comedian Simon Harris £493,000 for "community engagement" on social media during the pandemic
• The council defended the payments, saying Harris worked 7 days a week and was supported by a team
• Harris set up a Facebook page collaborating with the council and NHS to share COVID information
• The page reached more people than the council's usual social media channels
• Harris previously ran a parody news website and raised money for charity, but has now deleted his online profiles