ACRE statement on the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Draft Bill

The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Draft Bill is being referred to in this way after Martyn Hett, a victim of the Manchester Arena attack in 2017. It is a response to criticism that authorities were not prepared enough to respond to the terrible incident. The Draft Bill could place a requirement on those responsible for certain venues to consider the threat from terrorism and implement appropriate and proportionate mitigation measures. As the Bill stands, village halls with a capacity of more than 100 people could be subject to the new requirements.

ACRE is actively working with government officials to make sure that any requirements resulting from the Bill are proportionate, taking into consideration the capacity of those who manage these public places. As part of this we have given written evidence to the Home Affairs Select Committee for their pre-legislative review.

Deborah Clarke, ACRE’s Village Halls Manager said, “It is incorrect to suggest that thousands of England’s village halls will face closure due to the proposed Bill. It has not yet been introduced into Parliament, so its ultimate form and provisions are very likely to change from the current draft. In any case, most village halls are thriving rural community hubs that have survived many challenges (most recently COVID), have had to adapt and will continue to do so successfully. The ACRE Network is here to help volunteers managing these buildings implement any new legal requirements, but these must be meaningful and proportionate”.

Update 27 July 2023

The Home Affairs Committee has concluded it’s pre-legislative scrutiny of the Draft Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill and issued a warning that onerous new anti-terror regulations could place small businesses and voluntary organisations at risk of closure but fail to make a difference to public safety.

ACRE welcomes the committee giving such serious consideration to the potential impact of the proposed legislation on village halls and other volunteer run premises. We are hopeful the government will take heed of these concerns when it introduces the legislation and we stand ready to continue our support for officials to make sure any impact on volunteers and volunteer run premises is proportionate to the terrorism risks to which they might be exposed.

“It is incorrect to suggest that thousands of England’s village halls will face closure due to the proposed Bill. It has not yet been introduced into Parliament, so its ultimate form and provisions are very likely to change from the current draft.”

Deborah Clarke, ACRE’s Village Hall Manager