MARKETING communication agency The Partners Group of York has been praised in its Consultancy Management Standard Assessment by the public relations industry's leading standards body.

The Public Relations Consultants Association (PRCA) employs an independent auditor to assess its members every two years.

The assessor remarked on the Partners team's achievement in exceeding the good performance rating it attained in its first assessment in 2003.

Managing director Hugh Venables said: "For clients, the knowledge that we are adopting industry best practice across all management disciplines provides extra reassurance that they are in partnership with a company which is not only imaginative, creative and cost-effective in its output, but one which is also well-managed."

The stamp of approval follows the recent successes of the design team which won the UK's first Design Mark, and the leisure team for its best marketing campaign of the year award for its work for York Maze.

The Partners Group is one of only five firms in the North East to have passed the audit.

Updated: 11:52 Tuesday, January 24, 2006