Essex County Council is attempting to recover £100,000 that was paid to a company to build a public health app that was never made.

TryLife Ltd received grant funding of more than £330,000 to create an app linked to “behavioural change” and produce videos for Essex County Council’s public health team.

However, it has now been revealed that the app was never created and the company is now being “pursued” by Essex County Council in a bid to recoup the funding.

It comes after the county council was accused of misusing funding when nearly £1.5million was paid out as part of a social media campaign to spread awareness messages during the Covid pandemic.

Pitsea Labour county councillor Aidan McGurran raised the matter at full council when he asked leader Kevin Bentley for details of payments he said amounted to £333,500.

He added that one single payment was for £117,500 and another for £100,000.

He said: “Can he also give members an update on what measures the council has taken to recover £100,000 from TryLife Limited for a behavioural change asset in the form of a mobile app that was never delivered and whether any of this £100,000 has yet been recovered or is reasonably expected.”

Essex County Council says the money was unrelated to payments of nearly £1.5million for the council’s social media “amplification” which started in 2018 before the pandemic.

A spokesperson for Essex County Council said: “TryLife Ltd received grant funding to create an app and produce videos for our public health team.

“This was unrelated to social media and did not meet the criteria of digital community engagement in the pandemic and therefore was not raised to senior officers in January.

“The app did not end up being delivered and the company is currently being pursued for a full return of the funds.”

TryLife was contacted for comment.