Martyn's Law and your village or community hall

The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, widely known as Martyn's Law, is new legislation named after Martyn Hett, one of the 22 people killed in the 2017 Manchester Arena attack. It places a legal duty on those responsible for certain publicly accessible premises and events to take steps to be better prepared for a terrorist attack.

It received Royal Assent on 3 April 2025, but the government has confirmed an implementation period of at least 24 months — so the duties are expected to take effect around 2027. That gives committees time to prepare, and 2026 is the year to do it.

Who is in scope, and the two tiers

The rules apply to premises (and some events) that are open to the public and where a certain number of people could reasonably be expected to be present at the same time. There are two tiers:

Capacity is judged on how many people could reasonably be present at the same time, staff included.

Most small halls will either fall below 200 (out of scope) or land in the standard tier. The key question for your committee is your realistic maximum capacity when the hall is at its busiest — a wedding, a packed performance, a polling day — not a quiet weekday booking.

What the standard tier actually requires

The good news for small committees: the standard tier is deliberately light-touch. There is no requirement to buy physical security, install equipment, or hire consultants. What it asks is that you have thought about, and put in place, simple public protection procedures that staff and volunteers could follow if an attack happened at or near the premises. In broad terms these cover:

• Evacuation — how you would get people out.
• Invacuation / moving people to safety — how you would bring people to a safer place inside, or hold them in place, if that were safer than leaving.
• Lockdown — how you would secure the premises, for example locking doors and closing shutters.
• Communication — how you would alert and instruct the people on site.

For a hall committee this is mostly about writing down sensible procedures, making sure regular hirers and volunteers know them, and reviewing them from time to time.

The enhanced tier (larger venues)

Premises expecting 800 or more people carry heavier duties: the procedures must be documented and provided to the regulator, alongside additional measures such as monitoring the premises and their vicinity, controlling the movement of people, and appointing a designated senior individual with responsibility for compliance. Few small halls will reach this tier, but a large venue or a big one-off event might.

Who is responsible, and who enforces it

The duty falls on the person or body in control of the premises — for a village or community hall that is normally the management committee or trustees. A new regulator, the Security Industry Authority (SIA), will oversee the regime, with powers to inspect and enforce once the law is in force.

What your committee should do now

• Work out your capacity. Establish the realistic maximum number of people who could be present at once — this tells you whether you are in scope and which tier.
• Draft simple procedures. If you are (or might be) in the standard tier, start sketching evacuation, invacuation, lockdown and communication plans. They can be short.
• Brief your people. Make sure trustees, staff and regular hirers know what to do.
• Watch for the statutory guidance. The SIA and government will publish free guidance on GOV.UK before the duties bite — you should not need to pay anyone to comply at the standard tier.

Official information: the government's Martyn's Law collection and ProtectUK.

This guide is general information for trustees and committee members, not legal, accounting or security advice, and every charity is different. The rules described here are changing during 2025–2027 and some detail may still shift, so always confirm the current position with the relevant regulator or a suitably qualified adviser before acting. Last reviewed July 2026.