A CHARITY that has scaled back the care it provides for severely disabled people is continuing to come under fire from concerned parents.

It was revealed last month that Ripon Community Link was withdrawing support for 12 of its most vulnerable service users and was making staff redundant.

It provided day care services to people with complex needs and parents were angry at being given less than two week's notice to find alternative care.

Now the charity is being accused of financial mismanagement by parents - and a member of staff who wished to remain anonymous - claimed that it was in a healthy position early last year until money started being spent unnecessarily on things such as non-compulsory training courses.

The Charity Commission has now been called on to investigate the circumstances leading up to the charity having to scale back its operations.

An action group has been set up and parents are calling for the resignation of the charity's board of trustees.

But Kathryn Harrison, the chair of trustees, said: “As a service which is so well-used and loved within in our community, we understand the great disappointment of the families who are no longer able to access services at Ripon community link.

“Our priority has always been, and remains, the people who need this support, and we therefore share this disappointment.

"The charity has not taken recent decisions lightly or without thorough consideration.”

“While we are confident that the recent steps taken were vital, we hear the concerns and questions our community has about how and why these decisions came about.

“We agree that it is essential that they are properly examined and outcomes fully acknowledged and properly addressed.

“Given that these concerns involve questions around the governance and executive of the charity, we are currently in discussions with a person to provide mediation in addressing the concerns being raised.

“Once this is established we will do everything we can to support this process.

“Given this, we feel that the many questions that have been put forward be addressed as part of the review.

“In the meantime, we would not be doing our duty to the community if we did not highlight the continued immediate risk to services and appeal to our communities to unite to support the charity through this difficult time."