MORE than 70 Hampshire staff at the world's fifth largest accountancy group have contributed to an 11 per cent growth in fee income over the year.

BDO Stoy Hayward's business centre in Southampton alone saw a 19 per cent rise in fee income, according to figures released.

National fee income rose from £169.4m to £187.9m - reportedly the highest rise seen so far among any of the top ten largest accountancy firms.

The exodus of larger firms from bigger accountancy competitors was cited as a key driver.

The revival of AIM - the junior stock market - resulted in BDO Stoy Hayward becoming the most active corporate finance adviser in this arena, working on 20 per cent of all new issues in the second half of 2004.

That included last October's £28.2m flotation of asthma research company Synairgen, a spin out from the University of Southampton.

Kim Hayward, managing partner at BDO Stoy Hayward's Southampton business centre, said: "Businesses are recognising that we can deliver on an international scale but offer a much more personal and human approach.

Globally, BDO International operates 600 offices in 100 countries.