The businessman behind a failed call centre – which was handed £10million of public contracts – was leading a luxury lifestyle as staff lost their jobs just weeks before Christmas.
David Harper was the boss of Glasgow-based Go-centric, which collapsed this month, leaving 650 staff – who were paid about £9 an hour – out of work. But the Sunday Mail can reveal how the 42-year-old, who is linked to three failed companies, was enjoying lavish holidays abroad and lives in a £2million mansion.
We can also reveal how his collapsed firm – which handled Covid test and trace for NHS Scotland – was at the centre of an investigation over data breaches.
Raymond Young, a former member of staff at the firm, which used the motto “Kind Honest People”, said: “It is disgraceful that David Harper earns his living from taxpayer-funded government contracts, pays people low wages, then puts companies into liquidation at no notice, making hard-working people redundant. It is in stark contrast to the values he claims to uphold – Kind Honest People? More unkind and dishonest.”
Harper, who is said to drive a McLaren sports car, shares his mansion in Wylam, Northumberland, with husband Nick Merrey, whom he married in 2015 and is a business associate. The 4600 sq ft, five-bed detached home has a tennis court and an indoor swimming pool. In April, just after Go-centric went through a round of redundancies, Harper was at a ski resort in Canada with his family, where rooms at the mountain resort Fairmount Banff Springs cost £500 a night.
Amid other luxury trips posted on social media, in September pictures showed Harper and his father with TV stars Ant and Dec as Harper wore a Palm Angels T-shirt, which can cost up to £200. The Sunday Mail went to Harper’s home last week to ask about the failed company and investigation over data breaches.
A woman answered an intercom and said: “David’s not home. I’m just the housekeeper. I’m not sure when he will be back. If you leave a letter, he will definitely get it.” We tried again later but, before we were even able to ring the bell, a man shouted through the intercom: “Turn around and get off my driveway.”
The Sunday Mail has learned that Go-centric had been undergoing an audit by NHS National Services Scotland, which paid £9.5million last year to have them handle test and trace calls. The contract was due to run out in March 2023.
Whistleblower Raymond alleged data violations, which he claims meant he could listen to sensitive and personal call recordings by members of the public who were being handled by other employees. The 54-year-old, who was employed between August 2021 and May 2022, reported concerns to the directors and NHS NSS when he realised the serious error.
He said: “I was able to listen to other people’s calls and was worried that if this had happened to me, then it certainly might have been the case with other employees too or even ex-employees. It’s sensitive information and there are strict rules about how that information is supposed to be handled and stored.”
NHS NSS told Raymond they had investigated and found “Go-centric 8x8 implementation does not comply with all contractual requirements including the storage of call recordings”. 8x8 is a call-handling system used by call centre firms. An on-site visit was scheduled for November, however it is unclear as to whether this went ahead. The firm then closed its doors on December 1.
Raymond said he also uncovered a second blunder after he left the company, when he was able to get access to sensitive information about passport applications using his personal email address. When logging in to his Microsoft Teams account using his own email, he found he was able to see information about work Go-centric was doing with the Home Office, specifically handling calls to the Passport Office. He alerted the Home Office to the error but said he did not receive any reply.
Several employees have contacted the Sunday Mail after we revealed the firm had gone bust just weeks before Christmas, with some questioning how it could have happened. They pointed to chairman Harper’s links with former firms which received government cash before going bust and his lavish lifestyle.
Another ex-employee, who had worked for Go-centric for a year before losing their job last week, said: “It was a shock and I’m worried about how I will afford anything for Christmas. I only got paid about £9 an hour anyway but it’s better than nothing.”
The Sunday Mail asked NHS NSS if it had conducted its planned on-site audit of Go-centric before it closed down but did not receive a response. Instead, the NHS body said it “worked in partnership” with the firm to “robustly investigate the claims” of a data breach.
Martin Morrison, of NHS Scotland’s National Contact Centre, said: “NHS NSS and Go-centric completed a comprehensive investigation earlier this year after a data breach concern was raised. We found no evidence of any data breach in our digital platforms.”
Asked about the data breach concerns, a spokesperson for Go-centric said: “We can confirm an internal review was conducted into alleged access of Go-centric systems by a former employee. This was found to be false and was accepted by our clients, whom we worked with openly and transparently. No client system access was found to be attempted.
“At this difficult time, our focus has been on supporting people and saving jobs. Negotiations with our customers have secured jobs and employment opportunities which outnumber the number of people affected by the closure of go-centric.”
Scottish Lib Dem economy spokesperson Willie Rennie said: “There are huge questions to be answered about misuse of public funds.”
In August the UK Government granted Go-centric a £1.4million contract to run the Warm Home Discount Scheme despite the record of two firms linked to Harper. Talent Training went bust in 2017 after claiming millions in funding for apprenticeships. Another firm linked to Harper took on some of Talent Training’s work before it closed in 2018.
The Home Office did not respond to our request for comment.
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