Financial services firm Deloitte has posted its fourth consecutive year of growth.

UK turnover was up by 1.4 per cent to £2.55 billion in the year to May 31, 2014, with its Midlands arm contributing £135 million in revenue.

During the period, it launched a new programme to support business leaders of tomorrow and recruited or promoted 72 new partners.

It also hired 3,500 people, including 1,500 entry-level positions which took the total number of UK staff to nearly 14,000, with more than 650 of those in the Midlands.

During the year, corporate finance grew to £424m (2013: £405 million), consulting rose to £622 million (2013: £619 million) while revenue in the firm's tax practice broadly equalled those of last year at £562 million.

Birmingham-based Chris Loughran, senior partner of Deloitte in the Midlands, said: "This is the fourth consecutive year of national revenue increase and, given the unstable economic climate that we and our clients have faced, we are proud of that achievement.

"We are also proud of the role our region has played in the resurgence of the wider UK economy in the last 12 months and have already seen considerable confidence and optimism in the first quarter of this financial year across the sectors in which our clients lead.

"The strength of automotive, health and life sciences, advanced manufacturing - to name but a few - continues on both the national and international stage and, critically, we continue to attract and retain some of the most important industry players, business leaders and entrepreneurs to the region."

He added: "It is integral to our business to be an active part of the communities in which we work and live.

"I am particularly proud of our partnership with Cure Leukaemia, our Birmingham practice's locally nominated charity, for which it has raised more than £45,000 in the last 18 months.

"This money will fund a clinical trial nurse to help deliver potentially life-saving drugs to blood cancer patients, and help support a charity that is saving lives and creating jobs."