Guidance for village halls on

new Martyn’s Law now available

Martyn’s Law, which was given its name in tribute to a victim of the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017, requires public premises that hold events for at least 200 people to be fully prepared to keep members of the public safe in the event of a terror attack.

Larger village halls, along with other rural community buildings, including theatres, council chambers and wedding venues, fall within the scope of Martyn’s Law, which is formally known as the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025.

Venue owners are now being encouraged to familiarise themselves with the new guidance, and to begin planning what action, if any, is required ahead of the law coming into force in April 2027.

Produced in partnership with a wide range of stakeholders, including representatives from Action with Communities in Rural England and the wider ACRE Network, the guidance has been designed to explain the requirements of Martyn’s Law in a simple and easy-to-understand way.

It also reflects the government’s clear intention that those who are responsible for premises and events that are affected by the law should be able to comply without buying specialist services.

The new guidance can be found online via the Protect UK website.

Law’s new regulator opens consultation

The Security Industry Authority has been appointed as the regulator of Martyn’s Law.

This means the body will be responsible for ensuring qualifying venues and premises comply with the requirements of the legislation.

It will also provide owners with advice on how to meet their new obligations and support them to understand what procedures and measures may need to be put in place.

Draft statutory guidance of the SIA’s powers, roles and responsibilities in relation to Martyn’s Law has now been published.

A consultation on the content of this draft guidance is now live, with those affected by the law, along with their wider membership bodies, encouraged to share their views.

People can take part in the consultation, which will run until Friday 12 June, online through the gov.uk website.

Martyn’s Law
was named after Martyn Hett, who sadly died in the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017.