City of York Trading Ltd, a council-owned recruitment firm, announced the acquisition of boutique recruitment firm Williams and Anthony, a Yorkshire-based recruitment firm.

Financial details were not disclosed.

City of York Limited is a trading company owned by the City of York Council. It was established in 2011 to provide a vehicle for the trading of a range of services to both the public and the private sector. The group’s recruitment divisions include WorkwithYork, WorkwithSchools and WorkwithYorkshire.

The company is also a corporate member of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, and wholly owned by City of York Council, so a share of profits goes back to support local services.

Williams & Anthony specialise in senior appointments through to entry-level positions in pre-construction activities, including civil and structural engineers, environmental engineering and surveying. Williams and Anthony will form part of WorkwithYorkshire, the group’s existing commercial division.

Karen Bull, managing director at City of York Trading, said: “There is a really good fit between our two organisations both with an emphasis on exceptional client and candidate service, ethical and transparent recruitment practices and personal engagement. With CYT’s previous public sector engineering experience, acquisition of Williams and Anthony’s specialist commercial candidate and client base puts us in a strong position to evolve and grow.”