A SUPPORT services company and a local authority have been celebrating their partnership's fifth anniversary.

Mouchel Parkman has been providing engineering and property services for North Yorkshire County Council since 1999.

In that time, they have worked together on a number of projects, including a scheme to repair Richmond's Mercury Bridge after severe flooding in June 2000, and the £28m Scarborough Integrated Transport Scheme.

Senior officers from North Yorkshire County Council marked the occasion with a reception at the company's Northallerton office.

The council's executive member for environmental services, Councillor Peter Sowray, said: "The needs of the community have been served extremely well as a result of this partnership, which has developed beyond its initial objectives and has secured increased funding as a result."

Philip Wade, Mouchel Parkman's business unit director in Yorkshire, said: "It's a credit to all those in the partnership that the service provision in the community has been enhanced, and we just wanted to get together to celebrate this achievement.

"We are delighted to have developed this partnership, which we hope will prosper for years to come."