Maria Miller, the MP who stepped down yesterday as Culture Secretary, has announced that she will donate her £17,000 severance pay to the charity Speakeasy Advocacy, which is based in her Basingstoke constituency.

Speakeasy Advocacy is an advice and advocacy organisation for adults with learning disabilities and autism in Hampshire. Last year its income was £153,000 and its expenditure was £132,000.

Miller resigned yesterday following a dispute over her expenses, which she said had become an “enormous distraction”. She is entitled to three months’ ministerial pay on leaving her Cabinet post.

Last week the Commons Committee for Standards ordered Miller to repay £5,800 to cover over-claiming of mortgage expenses and to apologise to Parliament for her attitude during its inquiry.

Previously the parliamentary commissioner, Kathryn Hudson, had said Miller over-claimed by £45,000, but the committee of MPs disagreed and required her to repay the lower sum.

Labour MP John Mann had urged her to reject her severence pay, saying it was “inappropriate”.  He has previously tabled an early day motion calling for all severance pay for MPs to be scrapped.