Chartered Accountants Serving Yorkshire Since 1886
Walter Dawson & Son is a firm of Chartered Accountants providing accountancy, tax, audit, payroll, cloud accounting, corporate finance and wealth management services to businesses and individuals across Yorkshire.
We were founded in 1886 and have been working with Yorkshire businesses and families ever since — through periods of significant economic change, across multiple generations of client relationships, and across a wide range of sectors.
Today we operate from six offices across the region: Bradford, Elland, Huddersfield, Leyburn, Northallerton and York. Our clients include established owner-managed businesses, family farms and agricultural enterprises, high-net-worth individuals, and businesses preparing for sale, succession or restructure.
We are regulated by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW) and registered to carry out audit work in the UK. WDS Wealth Management Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
A Full-Service Accountancy and Financial Advisory Firm
Unlike smaller local practices, we provide a genuinely comprehensive service across every area of business and personal finance. Unlike the large national firms, we maintain close, long-term relationships with our clients — and our directors are accessible, not abstracted behind layers of management.
Our services span:
Accountancy — year-end accounts, management accounts and bookkeepingTax — business tax, corporation tax, personal tax, capital gains tax, inheritance tax and VATAudit — statutory and non-statutory auditPayroll — fully outsourced payroll management and RTI complianceCloud Accounting — Sage, Xero and QuickBooks implementation and ongoing supportCorporate Finance — acquisitions, disposals, MBOs and fundraisingFunding Solutions — loans, grants, asset finance and invoice financeWealth Management — investment, pensions, estate planning (FCA regulated)Probate — licensed by ICAEW for non-contentious probate in England and Wales
For most clients, we handle several of these areas simultaneously. That joined-up approach means your tax position, payroll, business accounts and personal financial planning are all considered together — which leads to better advice and fewer gaps.
The Clients We Work With
Our clients are typically established businesses that have moved beyond the start-up phase and are navigating the increasing financial complexity that comes with growth. Most are owner-managed or family-run, turning over between £500k and £5m+, with between 5 and 50 employees.
They often come to us when:
Payroll has become time-consuming or high-risk to manage internally
Tax liabilities have grown to the point where proactive planning is essential
Cash flow is harder to predict and management reporting isn’t keeping pace
The business needs funding for investment or acquisition
Ownership or succession is being planned or has become urgent
A sale, MBO or restructure is on the horizon and they need joined-up advice
We also have longstanding relationships with farming and agricultural businesses across Yorkshire and North Yorkshire — clients we’ve worked with for generations, through changes in subsidy structures, land transactions, succession planning and the evolving tax landscape affecting rural estates.
And for individuals — business owners, high-net-worth individuals and families — we provide personal tax, inheritance tax planning, probate and wealth management services alongside the work we do with their businesses.
Over 140 Years of Yorkshire Accountancy
WDS was founded in 1886, making us one of the longest-established accountancy firms in Yorkshire. Over more than a century, we have supported businesses and families through periods of profound change — from the industrialisation of West Yorkshire to the digital transformation of modern business.
Many of our client relationships span decades. In some cases, we work with the third or fourth generation of the same family business. That longevity reflects something we believe is genuinely important: that the best financial advice is built on deep knowledge of the client, not just their numbers.
Our growth from a single practice to a firm with six offices across the region has been driven by the same principles that shaped the firm in the 19th century — technical expertise, honest advice, and a genuine interest in the success of the people we work with.
A Team of Chartered Accountants and Financial Advisers
Our team includes Chartered Accountants (ACA and ACCA qualified), tax specialists, payroll professionals, corporate finance advisers, and FCA-regulated wealth management advisers.
We invest in the development of our people — including through apprenticeship programmes that bring new talent into the profession — because we believe the quality of advice our clients receive depends directly on the expertise and values of the individuals delivering it.
Six Offices Across Yorkshire
We serve businesses and individuals across Yorkshire from six offices, each with a team familiar with the local business community, sectors and geography.
Bradford Elland Huddersfield Leyburn Northallerton York
Our Mission
At Walter Dawson, our mission is to train and inspire all our team members to be experts in their chosen fields. We listen, support, and evaluate, enabling us to provide innovative solutions for our clients.
Our culture
We have come a long way over the years, and we are proud of where we are heading. Our people, values and beliefs are important to us, they are at the heart of everything we do. Our mission is at our centre, and all the work we do is built on our four company values.
Our purpose
To be your trusted advisors, adding value to your business, helping achieve your ambitions and building a successful future.
Regulated, Qualified and Accountable
Choosing an accountant or financial adviser means trusting them with sensitive information and significant decisions. We think it’s important that clients understand exactly how we are regulated.
ICAEW Regulated
WDS Accountants Ltd is regulated for a range of investment business activities and registered to carry out audit work in the UK by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW). Audit registration reference: C006839848, viewable at auditregister.org.uk.
FCA Authorised
WDS Wealth Management Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, providing clients with confidence in the financial advice and investment recommendations they receive. Firm Ref No: 112543
Probate Licensed
We are licensed by ICAEW to carry out the reserved legal activity of non-contentious probate in England and Wales — one of a limited number of accountancy firms with this authorisation.
