Martyn's Law for parish and town councils: a guide for clerks and councillors
Updated 26 October 2026. Guidance, not legal advice.
Many parish and town councils own a village hall, community centre or pavilion. If 200 or more people can be in one of those buildings at once, Martyn's Law will apply to it. This guide explains what that means for the council, and what the clerk can put in place now.
In short
- Look at each building the council owns or manages on its own. A building is covered if 200 or more people could reasonably be in it at the same time.
- Whoever controls the building is responsible. If the council runs it, that's the council. If a charity or management committee runs it under a lease, it's usually them.
- Most council buildings that are covered will be standard tier: notify the regulator and have simple procedures ready. No equipment or security staff is required.
- The duties are expected to start in 2027. The budget you set this winter covers the year they start, so plan for it 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, who was killed in the Manchester Arena attack in 2017, and follows years of campaigning by his mother, Figen Murray. It became law on 3 April 2025, and the Home Office published its final statutory guidance on 15 April 2026.
For a council, it means that the people running each busy building should already know how they would keep everyone safe if the worst happened.
Which council buildings could be covered?
Go through the council's asset register and ask one question about each building: at its busiest, could 200 or more people reasonably be inside at the same time? Count everyone, including staff, volunteers and performers, not just visitors.
- Village halls and community centres are the buildings most likely to be covered, especially if they're hired for weddings, parties, dances or shows.
- Sports pavilions and clubhouses are usually much smaller, but a pavilion with a function room you hire out can be covered. Our guide for sports clubs explains how grounds and pavilions are treated.
- Council offices and chambers rarely hold 200 people. A well-attended annual parish meeting in a large hall is a different matter, so think about where it's held.
- Parks, recreation grounds and open spaces that anyone can walk onto are excluded. The law only covers premises that include a building.
Write down the building, your best estimate of its busiest occasion, and how you reached it. If a building is close to 200, plan as if it's covered. Our homepage explains how to work out your number.
Who is responsible: the council or the hall committee?
The duty falls on the "responsible person", meaning whoever controls the building in connection with how it's used. Ownership alone doesn't decide it. The common arrangements are:
- The council runs the building itself, taking bookings and holding the keys: the council is the responsible person.
- A charity or management committee runs it under a lease: the committee is usually the responsible person, because it controls day-to-day use. The council may still want to know that it's being done.
- A management agreement, or the council acts as trustee of a hall charity: this needs more care. A council acting as sole trustee should deal with it as the charity's trustee, with the charity's money, and minute it separately.
If it isn't clear, check the lease or agreement and agree in writing who will do what. In some cases responsibility may be shared, and the SIA can advise. Don't let each side assume the other has it covered.
Who does the work?
The council is a body, so it acts through its officers and its meetings. A simple approach:
- The council resolves that it is the responsible person for named buildings, and delegates the work to the clerk or a named committee.
- The clerk or a nominated councillor walks round each building with the hall manager or caretaker and writes the procedures.
- The council or committee signs them off, and the clerk keeps them with the council's other risk management records.
What the standard tier asks you to do
1. Tell the regulator
For each covered building, notify the Security Industry Authority (SIA) and say who the responsible person is. The SIA will open its online notification service once the duties start, expected in 2027.
2. Have procedures for four situations
- Evacuation: getting people out and away from danger. Fire routes are a starting point, but an attack can need different routes, and people should spread out and keep going rather than gather at the fire assembly point.
- Invacuation: bringing people inside, or into a safer room, when the danger is outside.
- Lockdown: securing doors and windows 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's happening and what to do, and how you'd call for help.
3. Make sure people know them
Brief the caretaker, key holders, regular volunteers and anyone who runs events. Hirers need a short sheet too: our guide for village halls explains how to handle hires.
Budget, insurance and policies
- Budget: the costs are small for the standard tier: mainly time, printing and perhaps a few signs or door checks. If you'd like help writing the procedures, include a modest amount in the budget and precept you set this winter, which covers the year the duties are expected to start.
- Risk register: add Martyn's Law against each covered building, with the owner and target date.
- Hire agreements: add a clause requiring hirers to read the building's emergency briefing, and to name someone in charge at large events.
- Insurance: mention it at your next renewal. Insurers increasingly ask about emergency procedures.
Events on council land
Separate rules cover large events of 800 or more people held at places that aren't otherwise covered, such as a festival, fun day or fireworks night on a field. These are enhanced tier, with heavier duties. Responsibility sits with whoever organises and controls the event, which may or may not be the council. If you run or host events that size, take specialist advice early.
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.
A simple timeline for the council
- Now: put Martyn's Law on the next agenda. Review the asset register and agree who is responsible for each building.
- This winter: include any costs in the budget and precept. Walk round each covered building and draft the procedures.
- Spring 2027: sign the procedures off, update hire agreements and brief key holders.
- 2027: the duties are expected to come into force. Notify the SIA once its service opens.
Want it done in an evening?
You can do all of this using the free guidance. If you'd rather not start from a blank page, Protect My Venue turns a 20-minute questionnaire about each building 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
- Everyday security for venues: what to do about an unattended bag, how to report something suspicious, Run Hide Tell, and a 15-minute practice exercise.
- ProtectUK: the official home of the Martyn's Law guidance.
- Your county association of local councils, which can advise on the council's own procedures.
- 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. Where a building's arrangements are unusual, for example a hall charity with the council as trustee, check with the SIA, your county association or a solicitor.