OSCR, the Scottish charity regulator, is engaging with a conservation charity that protects Highland landscapes like Ben Nevis as it faces criticisms about its operations from a former staff member.
In a blog published on 12 September, the John Muir Trust’s former communications editor and media manager Alan McCombes made several allegations about its leadership, working culture and finances.
The Trust, which is a major landowner in the Scottish Highlands, said in response that the allegations were “not new” and made by someone with a “personal agenda beyond the interest of the charity or wild places”.
McCombes’ allegations follow an investigation into the Trust’s CEO, David Balharry, which exonerated him, and the charity making several redundancies earlier this year.
An OSCR spokesperson said: “We remain in the process of engaging with the charity and cannot comment any further at this time.”
Staff morale ‘plummeting fast’
Chief among McCombes’ allegations was that Balharry had mismanaged the Trust and led to increasingly low staff morale since being appointed to the position in 2020.
McCombes alleged that Balharry’s “abrasive and divisive” management style; “micromanagement” tendencies, and “hostility” to the charity’s flagship John Muir Award led to staff morale that was “already plummeting fast” by 2022.
Balharry was exonerated in November following an independent investigation into unspecified allegations of misconduct. He had been suspended and placed on leave for five months last year while the investigation took place.
McCombes also alleged that as a result of Balharry’s management, along with the charity’s recent financial troubles, there has been a “mass exodus” of staff and trustees.
“Of the 66 employees of the Trust in July 2023, only 23 (34%) were still there a year later,” the blog reads.
“That exodus of two-thirds of the staff was further supplemented by another eight employees who came and went during that year, bringing the total number leaving the Trust to 51, which is 11 more than the current staff total.”
The blog also added: “Annual staff surveys and exit interviews reveal evidence of a serious loss of confidence and trust in the senior leadership of the Trust.
“Between spring 2021 and spring 2022, the percentage of staff responding positively to the question ‘would you recommend the Trust as a place to work?’ dropped from 97% to a mere 30%.”
McCombes also said that there has been a “mass compulsory redundancy programme” of one-third of the charity’s workforce over the last year.
Trust’s financial challenges
The blog went on to detail the financial troubles in which the trust has found itself in recent years.
In December 2022, the board of trustees allegedly approved a £2m deficit budget for the year 2023.
McCombes’ blog states that “reckless spending” had led to what he described as a “growing cash flow crisis”.
In March 2024, the charity told staff and members that more than a quarter of jobs were at risk as it faced this financial deficit.
McCombes claimed that these events had led to deteriorating relationships between the Trust and local communities and suspensions of a number of its initiatives and flagship John Muir Award scheme.
John Muir Trust: Concerns raised ‘are not new’
Responding to the allegations, the Trust issued a statement yesterday.
“In the opinion of the board, those making claims have a personal agenda beyond the interest of the charity or wild places.
“The trustee board is driving the need for change, and the desire to ensure that charitable funds are spent effectively and against charitable purposes.
“As is often the case, those driving change can be the target of complaints. As a charity, we recognise our responsibilities to OSCR, staff, members and supporters.
“We welcome discussion and scrutiny and ensure that complaints are fully and rigorously investigated in an open and transparent way.
“The concerns raised in the press are not new. Following a difficult period, the board commissioned two reviews into events of the past 18 months.
“These reviews contain recommendations and lessons learned that have either been implemented or are in the process.”
It added: “The board is satisfied that all issues which have received press attention in the past week have been fully investigated.
“Should other concerns arise the board will ensure they are investigated in line with the Trust’s policies and procedures.”
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