Hampshire county council's director of culture, communities and rural affairs, Yinnon Ezra, is to step down after nine years in the post.

His department will merge with Hampshire's property, business, and regulatory services and IT services department, creating the new department of culture, communities and business services....

The severe pressures on local authority budgets that threaten the public library service could last a decade, delegates were warned at a library campaign conference on Wednesday.

The ground-breaking event was billed to bring council leaders and cabinet members from local authorities across the south of England together with senior...