Martyn's Law for village halls

The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 is not in force yet. The SIA expects it to come into force in spring 2027 and will confirm the date. Here is how it applies to a village hall: how to count your capacity, which tier you fall into, and what has to be in place.

Counting capacity

The figure that decides the tier is the greatest number of people it is reasonable to expect to be present at the same time, from time to time, including staff. For a village hall that means the number you can reasonably expect at its fullest regular use: a wedding, a sale, a village meeting. The fire safety figure from your fire risk assessment is a ceiling, not automatically the answer. Figures vary a lot between village halls, so work out your own. Below 200 the Act does not apply. 200 to 799 is standard tier. 800 and over is enhanced tier.

Which tier

Many village halls sit under 200 and are out of scope. A hall where 200 or more people can reasonably be expected at once, from time to time, is standard tier. The statutory guidance gives the example of a hall with a fire safety figure of 250 that has never had more than 150 in at once. It stays out of scope (paragraph 4.34). The responsible person is whoever controls the hall, usually the charity that runs it, acting through its trustees or management committee. Hiring the hall out does not change that.

What a standard tier village hall must have

Once the Act is in force, notify the SIA of the premises and the responsible person through the SIA's online portal. Anyone already responsible on the start date has three months. Have public protection procedures in place, so far as reasonably practicable, for four situations: evacuation (getting people out), invacuation (bringing people in and keeping them inside), lockdown (securing the premises) and communication (telling people what to do). Staff who have a role in them need to know what it is. No equipment, no searches and no security staff are required at this tier. The SIA can impose a penalty of up to £10,000, and up to £500 a day if a compliance notice is not met.

What that looks like in a village hall

A village hall committee has no staff on site most of the time, so the procedures have to work for hirers. The pack's co-ordination section covers what hirers are told, so the hirer's named person on the night can be briefed in a few minutes, and the evacuation and invacuation sections ask you to name the assembly point and the room to shelter in rather than assuming a steward is there.

The capacity assessment matters more here than anywhere, because a hall that is honestly under 200 at its fullest has nothing to do under the Act beyond knowing that. The pack's first document records the figure, the method and who signed it, so if the SIA asks, the answer is on paper.

Hall committees are volunteers. The staff briefing is twenty minutes and the training record is a one-page register, which is what a committee can actually deliver at its next meeting.