This month's inquest into the murder of eight innocent people during the London Bridge terror attack provided a stark, paradoxical reminder of local authorities' vital role in tackling extremism.

As the horrific details of 3 June 2017 emerged at the Old Bailey, I was reminded that one of the three Daesh (Islamic State)-inspired terrorists, Khuram Butt, had been known to the Security Service (MI5). Butt had long been a supporter of the radical cleric Anjem Choudary, as well as the banned extremist group Al Muhajiroun, and even appeared on a 2016 TV documentary carrying an ISIS flag.