The direction of St John Ambulance and the effectiveness of the Charity Commission were challenged by MPs this week in a Westminster Hall debate.

Three MPs accused the charity of being mismanaged, and raised concerns over its financial restructuring. The debate also addressed the lack of action taken by the Charity Commission over the charity’s operations.

The debate was convened by Conservative Sir Roger Gale and dealt with his claim that St John is no longer fulfilling its charitable objectives. Representatives from the charity, the Charity Commission, and minister for civil society Nick Hurd also heard debate regarding the alleged loss of control over funds raised locally for a nursing home in Kent.

Fellow Tory MP Julian Brazier said he had concerns over the future of funds donated for a St John residential care home in his constituency in Whitstable. He claimed that due to the charity’s restructure, money donated by local people to the home for its upkeep and maintenance could be taken by the charity and used elsewhere.

Responding after the debate, a spokesman from St John told civilsociety.co.uk that trustees take their legal responsibility and accountability for the home very seriously. “These vulnerable residents shouldn’t be used as a political football,” he added.

During the Parliamentary debate, Sir Roger accused St John of “morphing a fine institution into little more than a commercial health and safety training organisation”.

He read aloud from transcripts of conversations he had had with members of St John, including from his local area of Kent.

One statement read: “The feeling among the membership is that the new regional directors are trying to run St John as a commercial company and that making a profit is their main aim.”

Sir Roger was chided for focusing on the issues of one regional area, when they were not really relevant to Parliament.

Mike Wood, Labour MP for Batley and Spen, said that the critical three MPs needed to accept that there is life beyond Kent, adding: “I think that they have to be told that there is life north of Watford.”

Wood argued that St John has improved its performance in recent years. Since its 2012 restructure, 37 per cent more young people were trained in first aid than the year before.

Last year a strategic overhaul at the charity saw it strip away various layers of management, making 155 people redundant in the process.

No role for Charity Commission

Sir Roger stated that the Charity Commission was either “unwilling or unable” to intervene into the charity’s affairs. However, Nick Hurd defened the regulator, pointing out that the issues raised do not fall within its regulatory remit and that it has no regulatory concerns.

The minister said that it was down to the charity’s trustees to address such issues.

He added: “They have broad discretion to exercise the powers open to them under charity law and the charity’s governing document as they consider the best interests of the charity and its beneficiaries. That is the framework under which the Charity Commission operates.”

And after the debate, a Charity Commission spokeswoman said: “The concerns raised relate to the administration of the charity, which we are specifically precluded by law from becoming involved in. It is a matter for the trustees, not the Commission, to determine how they account for the charity’s funds.

“No evidence has been provided to demonstrate that funds have been wrongly classified or misappropriated by the trustees.”

Sue Killen, chief executive of St John Ambulance, defended its transformation, saying it had improved the charity’s financial position, clinical quality and standards, as well as increasing its charitable output.

She said: “The debate was useful in helping us understand the concerns that some MPs have. Not all the information they had was correct and our next step will be to meet with them, explain our approach and provide further clarity. St John Ambulance has its heart in the community and values their concerns."

This is not the first time a charity has been accused by an MP of stepping away from its charitable aims.

Earlier this month, Tory MP David Davies criticised Save the Children, the RSPCA and the RSPB of focusing their attentions on political lobbying instead of what he claims they were set up to do.