An award-winning accounting firm is set for further growth after merging with a London business.

Reeves & Neylan, with offices in Canterbury, Chatham Maritime, Gatwick and London Bridge, has teamed up with FW Stephens, a long-established City financial consulting group. Both were founded more than 100 years ago. The practices will be merged from June 1.

The move propels the combined firm - to be known as Reeves & Neylan LLP - into the UK's top 25 accountancy practices.

The combined business will have a fee income of £20 million, 43 partners and 330 staff. Each firm's financial services business will be merged to create a Chartered Financial advisory arm and discretionary fund management business with a combined fee income of over £2 million. This operation will become one of only 200 with Chartered Financial Adviser status. Rreeves & Neylan staff at London Bridge will move into Stephens' offices in Moorgate to take London-based staff numbers to more than 100.

Clive Stevens, managing partner at Reeves & Neylan, will continue to be the combined firm's managing partner. Owen Skinner, his counterpart at FW Stephens, will join the firm's management board.

Mr Stevens said: "I'm delighted that FW Stephens have chosen to join us. It brings a broader range of expertise into our practice as well as expanding our presence in London and furthers our aim to be a true regional financial consulting group." Mr Skinner added: "The opportunity to merge with a firm of the stature of Reeves & Neylan is a tremendous opportunity for all those involved - our partners, staff and of course our clients."

Reeves & Neylan was named 2009 Large Firm of the Year in the AccountancyAge awards and was twice voted the UK's best tax practice in the LexisNexis UK Tax Awards.