Martyn's Law for village halls: a plain-English guide for committees
Updated 26 October 2026. Guidance, not legal advice.
Martyn's Law will affect a lot of village and community halls, and many committees don't know yet. The good news is that, for most halls, what's required is sensible, cheap and achievable by volunteers.
In short
- If 200 or more people could reasonably be in your hall at the same time, it's covered.
- Most halls that are covered fall into the standard tier: register with the regulator and have simple procedures ready.
- You don't have to buy equipment, install anything or hire security.
- The duties are expected to start in spring 2027. There's time, but committees meet infrequently, so start now.
What is Martyn's Law?
Martyn's Law is the common name for the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025. It's named after Martyn Hett, one of the 22 people killed in the Manchester Arena attack in 2017. His mother, Figen Murray, campaigned for years for venues to be better prepared. The law became law on 3 April 2025, and the Home Office published its final statutory guidance on 15 April 2026.
The idea is simple: if something terrible happened, the people running a venue should already know how they'd get everyone to safety.
Does it apply to our hall?
It applies if it is reasonable to expect that, from time to time, 200 or more people could be in the building at the same time. That includes everyone: visitors, hirers' guests, your volunteers and any staff.
How to work it out
- Think about your busiest events, not a normal week. The Christmas fair, the annual show, a big wedding reception or a well-attended party all count.
- Include hires. If you regularly hire the hall for events that bring in 200 or more people, the hall is likely to be covered even if your own activities are much smaller.
- Your fire risk assessment is a useful starting point. The maximum occupancy it gives isn't the same test, but it shows the scale of your building.
What the numbers mean
- Under 200: not covered. A simple emergency plan is still good practice.
- 200 to 799: standard tier. This is where most halls that are covered will sit.
- 800 or more: enhanced tier, with much heavier duties. Very few village halls are this large.
Who is responsible?
The duty falls on the "responsible person", meaning whoever controls the building. For most village halls that's the management committee or the charity's trustees. If your hall is run by a parish council, it's likely to be the council.
It's worth agreeing at a committee meeting who will lead on this, and minuting it. One named trustee can do the work, with the committee signing it off.
What the standard tier asks you to do
1. Tell the regulator
You'll need to notify the Security Industry Authority (SIA) that your hall is covered, and say who the responsible person is. The SIA's online notification service is expected to open in early 2027.
2. Have procedures for four situations
- Evacuation: getting people out and away from danger. Your fire evacuation routes are a starting point, but an attack can need different routes than a fire.
- Invacuation: bringing people inside, or into a safer room, when the danger is outside.
- Lockdown: securing doors to stop someone getting in. Know which doors lock, who holds the keys and how quickly they can be locked.
- Communication: how the person in charge tells everyone what is happening and what to do, and how you'd call for help.
3. Make sure people know them
Procedures only help if whoever is on duty that night knows them. That means a short briefing for key holders and regular volunteers, written so someone can read it in a few minutes.
The law doesn't strictly require a written document, but the official guidance recommends one, and it's much easier to brief people from a written plan.
What about hirers?
This is the question we hear most. Your hall is usually still the responsible person during a hire, because you control the building. The hirer won't know your doors, keys or layout.
A practical approach:
- Add a short section to your hire agreement saying the hirer must read the hall's emergency briefing.
- Give every hirer a one-page sheet: exits, which doors lock, where the keys are, and who to call.
- For big events, ask the hirer to name someone who will be in charge on the night.
What happens if we don't comply?
The SIA expects to start with advice and support rather than fines. It can issue compliance notices, and for standard tier premises the maximum fines are £10,000, plus up to £500 a day for continuing failures. For a small hall the bigger risks are usually to people and to your reputation, not the fine.
A simple timeline for your committee
- Now: put Martyn's Law on the next committee agenda. Decide whether you're likely to be covered and who will lead.
- Over the winter: walk round the building, write the procedures and update your hire agreement.
- Early 2027: notify the SIA once its service opens and brief your key holders.
- Spring 2027: the duties are expected to come into force.
Want it done in an evening?
You can do all of this yourselves using the free guidance. If your committee would rather not start from a blank page, Protect My Venue turns a 20-minute questionnaire about your hall into a ready-to-use plan, a volunteer briefing, a hirer sheet and a step-by-step guide to notifying the SIA.
Free help and official guidance
- ProtectUK: the official home of the Martyn's Law guidance.
- ACRE and your local rural community council publish guidance written for village halls.
- GOV.UK: the Act and the Home Office factsheets.
This guide summarises the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 and the Home Office statutory guidance as we understand them. It isn't legal advice. If your situation is unusual, check with the SIA or a solicitor.