The Charity Commission has appointed an interim manager to a residential care charity for young adults with learning disabilities that owes £1.5m to HMRC.

Adam Stephens of S&W Partners will take over Northamptonshire based William Blake House’s general administration and management “to the exclusion of the charity’s trustees”.

He will also take “any steps immediately necessary to secure” the charity’s assets, bank accounts and property.

Assessing the charity’s viability to continue providing support and representing the charity in negotiations with HMRC over its debt are also in Stephens’ remit.

His appointment follows last month’s launch of a statutory inquiry into the charity by the Charity Commission. This had escalated the regulator’s engagement with the charity, which started last year when a compliance case was opened.

This is looking at late filing of accounts by the charity and to assess its management of conflicts of interest.

According to the charities register the charity’s spending has outstripped its income in three of the last four years, by a total of £720,000.

The charity runs four care homes supporting “the developmental needs of adults with learning difficulties”.

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