LONDON, May 13 -- The government of the United Kingdom issued the following news:
Steiner Friends'statedactivitiesinclude providingeducational courses, based on the ethos of Rudolf Steiner.The charity was registered in 1998.
Concernsidentifiedduring the course ofanongoinginquiryinto William Blake House Northantshave led the Commission to openaseparate inquiry intoSteiner Friends.
There is an established financial andpersonalrelationship between thetwocharities.
The charity's trustees are also trustees of William Blake House Northants which is subject to an ongoing statutory inquiry opened in February 2026.The Commission isseekingtoestablishhowpotentialconflicts of interest arisingaremanagedandwhether thecharity's funds have been properly applied in furtherance of its charitable objects.
As thecharity reported £0 income in its annual returns for the years ended 31 March 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025its incomeappeared to bebelow the threshold forsubmittingaccounts to the Commission.
However,followingareview of the charity's bank accounts,the Commission is concerned that the charity's income may have exceeded the threshold and therefore accountsshould have beensubmittedto the Commission.This raisesconcerns that the trustees have failed tocomplywiththeir reporting obligations.
The inquiry will examine the extent to which the trustees are complying or havecomplied withtheir legal duties in respect of the administration,governanceand management of thecharity, withparticular regardto:
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the trustees'compliance with their statutory accounting and reporting responsibilities, including the accuracy of the informationsubmittedto the Commission in the charity's annual returns.
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thefinancial managementof the charity, including whether the charity's funds have been properly applied in furtherance of its charitable objects.
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the management of potential conflicts of interest and connected party transactions, and whether there has been any unauthorised private benefit to the trustees and/or connected parties.
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whether any of the charity's property has been or is at risk.
The scope of the inquiry may be extended ifadditionalregulatory issuesemerge.
It is the Commission'susualpolicy, after it has concluded an inquiry, to publish a report detailing the issues examined, any action taken, and the inquiry's outcomes.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
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The Charity Commission is the independent, non-ministerial government department that registers and regulates charities in England and Wales. Its ambition is to be an expert regulator that is fair, balanced, and independent so that charity can thrive. This ambition will help to create and sustain an environment where charities further build public trust and ultimately fulfil their essential role in enhancing lives and strengthening society. Read further information about what the Commission does.
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On13April2026, the Charity Commission opened a statutory inquiry into the charity under section 46 of the Charities Act 2011as a result of its regulatory concerns that there is or has been misconduct and / or mismanagement in the administration of the charity.
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A statutory inquiry is a legal power enabling the Commission to formally investigate matters of regulatory concern within a charity and to use protective powers for the benefit of the charity and its beneficiaries, assets, or reputation.
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Registered charitieswith annual gross income exceeding £25,000 arerequiredtosubmittheir accounts to the Commission.
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The Commission has todayalso announced theopening ofa separate statutory inquiry intoThe Shoosmith Gallery(registered charity number1147845).The charities have some trustees in common but are separate entities.
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On16February2026, the Charity Commission opened astatutory inquiry into William Blake House Northants(registered charity 1089471)under section 46 of the Charities Act 2011 as a result of its regulatory concerns that there is or has been misconduct and / or mismanagement in the administration of the charity.This inquiry is ongoing.
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The Commission's guidance on managing conflicts of interest can be found here:Identifying and managing conflicts of interest in a charity - GOV.UK
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