The Charity Commission has launched a statutory inquiry into Steiner Friends (registered charity number 1071781).
Steiner Friends' stated activities include providing educational courses, based on the ethos of Rudolf Steiner. The charity was registered in 1998.
Concerns identified during the course of an ongoing inquiry into William Blake House Northants have led the Commission to open a separate inquiry into Steiner Friends .
There is an established financial and personal relationship between the two charities.
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 is seeking to establish how potential conflicts of interest arising are managed and whether the charity's funds have been properly applied in furtherance of its charitable objects.
As the charity reported £0 income in its annual returns for the years ended 31 March 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025 its income appeared to be below the threshold for submitting accounts to the Commission.
However, following a review of the charity's bank accounts, the Commission is concerned that the charity's income may have exceeded the threshold and therefore accounts should have been submitted to the Commission. This raises concerns that the trustees have failed to comply with their reporting obligations.
The inquiry will examine the extent to which the trustees are complying or have complied with their legal duties in respect of the administration, governance and management of the charity, with particular regard to:
the trustees' compliance with their statutory accounting and reporting responsibilities, including the accuracy of the information submitted to the Commission in the charity's annual returns.
the financial management of the charity, including whether the charity's funds have been properly applied in furtherance of its charitable objects.
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.
whether any of the charity's property has been or is at risk.
The scope of the inquiry may be extended if additional regulatory issues emerge.
It is the Commission's usual policy, after it has concluded an inquiry, to publish a report detailing the issues examined, any action taken, and the inquiry's outcomes.
