Martyn’s Law Statutory Guidance Lands: What Every UK Venue Now Has to Do

by | May 18, 2026 | latest industry insights, Uncategorized

Crowd control barriers at a UK public event — Martyn's Law statutory guidance for venue security compliance

On 15 April 2026 the Home Office published the long-awaited statutory guidance under section 27 of the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 – the legislation widely known as Martyn’s Law. Named for Martyn Hett, killed in the 2017 Manchester Arena attack, the Act is the most significant piece of venue-security regulation in more than a decade.

The guidance is the document venue operators, event organisers and corporate occupiers have been waiting for since the Act received Royal Assent. It explains how the duties will be interpreted in practice, who they apply to, and what “reasonably practicable” looks like for premises of different sizes. Our team has reviewed the published guidance in full; this briefing summarises what it now requires.

Two tiers, two sets of duties

The Act creates a tiered regime based on the number of people reasonably expected to be present at a premises or event, including staff.

Standard tier covers premises where between 200 and 799 individuals may be present at the same time. The duties here are deliberately low-cost and procedural. The person responsible for the premises must notify the Security Industry Authority (SIA) of the premises and have in place, so far as reasonably practicable, appropriate public protection procedures. Those procedures cover four areas: evacuation, invacuation (moving people to a safer location inside the premises), lockdown, and communication with individuals on site.

Enhanced tier covers premises and qualifying events where 800 or more individuals may be present at the same time. The same four public protection procedures apply, but enhanced tier duty-holders must also consider what public protection measures are reasonably practicable. These can include monitoring of the premises and the immediate vicinity, physical security measures, and the security of information that could be useful to an attacker. Enhanced tier duty-holders must also document their procedures and measures and provide that documentation to the SIA.

The SIA becomes the regulator

The Act creates a new regulatory function for the Security Industry Authority. Alongside the Home Office guidance, the SIA opened its own consultation on 15 April 2026 covering its section 12 guidance – the document that will set out how it intends to exercise its enforcement role. That consultation closes on 12 June 2026.

The SIA’s powers will include receiving notifications from standard and enhanced tier duty-holders, reviewing enhanced tier documentation, providing advice, and taking enforcement action where duties are not being met. Compliance notices, restriction notices and monetary penalties are all available under the Act.

When the duties bite

The Act is not yet in force. The Government has committed to an implementation period of at least 24 months from 3 April 2025, which means the duties are expected to commence in spring 2027. Duty-holders should treat the intervening window as preparation time, not as a reason to wait.

What this means for UK venues

For most operators of theatres, conference venues, sports facilities, places of worship, hotels, retail centres and large workplaces, the practical question is simple: which tier applies, and what gap exists between current practice and the standard the guidance now describes? A short list of priorities:

  • Confirm your tier. The 200 and 800 thresholds are based on the number reasonably expected, including staff – not seating capacity or licence numbers. Many operators will be surprised which side of the line their site sits on.
  • Document the four procedures. Evacuation, invacuation, lockdown and communication need to be written down, briefed to staff, and tested. Generic fire-evacuation plans are not a substitute for procedures designed against a terrorist threat.
  • Train the people who would have to act. The guidance is clear that procedures are only effective if the people running the venue on the day know what to do. Enhanced tier sites will need a named senior individual responsible for compliance.
  • Plan for the SIA notification. Standard tier premises must register with the SIA once the duty commences. Knowing the threshold question now avoids a scramble in 2027.
  • Review physical measures at enhanced tier. Access control, hostile-vehicle mitigation, search arrangements, monitoring of the immediate vicinity, and the protection of information about the site all sit within scope for enhanced tier duty-holders.

The guidance is explicitly proportionate. Standard tier obligations were designed to be achievable by a small community hall as readily as a mid-sized hotel. Enhanced tier obligations are heavier, but they are also calibrated to what is reasonably practicable for the premises in question. Operators who already run a competent security programme will find much of the substance familiar; what is new is the regulator, the documentation expectation, and the fact that getting it wrong now carries enforcement consequences.

Need a security review?

Our team supports venues, event organisers and corporate clients across the UK with Martyn’s Law readiness work – tier assessments, procedure design, staff briefings and ongoing manned guarding. If you are unsure where your premises sit against the new guidance, we can help you find out and close any gaps before the duties commence.

Call us on 020 3700 0967, email info@secureonsitesecurity.co.uk, or visit our contact page. You can read more about the services most relevant to Martyn’s Law preparation here:

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