Martyn's Law for village & community halls

Most halls are either out of scope or sit at the lighter Standard Tier. How to tell which, what the busy day does to your numbers, and what a hall actually has to do.

By Andrew Wood · arx Partners · 6 min read · Last reviewed October 2026

Most village and community halls are either comfortably out of scope or sit at the lighter Standard Tier. The job is to work out which — and, if you are in, put a simple plan in place. It is far less than most committees fear, and you have time to get it right.

The short version

  • Scope turns on numbers. If 200 or more people are reasonably expected at the same time, from time to time, your hall is in scope at the Standard Tier. If you never get near 200, even on your busiest day, you are out of scope.
  • The count includes staff and volunteers, not just the public — and it is the busy day that counts, not a normal week.
  • The duty sits with the people who run the hall — the committee, trustees or operator — not with each group that hires it.
  • At the Standard Tier the requirements are light: workable procedures, and notifying the SIA once the system opens. No mandatory training, nothing to buy, no building work.
  • It is not in force yet — commencement is expected in spring 2027 at the earliest — so this is breathing space, not a deadline.

Are we even in scope?

This is the first question, and for a lot of halls the answer is no. A hall is only in scope if 200 or more people are reasonably expected on the premises at the same time, from time to time. The number is the most people present at once — staff, volunteers and contractors included, not just guests.

The phrase that matters is "from time to time". A hall that is quiet most weeks but fills to 300 for the Christmas fair, a wedding or a funeral has to consider Martyn's Law. "Usually we're quiet" is not the test — the busy day is. Equally, a small hall that tops out at 120 on its biggest day is simply out of scope, and that is a legitimate, defensible answer.

Count the busy day, and write down how you got the number

Note which rooms, what layout and which events you based it on, and that staff and volunteers are included. A number with the reasoning behind it is defensible — whether it puts you in scope or clearly out of it. A number on its own is a guess someone will have to re-do.

Don’t talk your numbers down

It can be tempting to shave the figure — “we’ll call it 180” — to stay under 200 and out of scope. Don’t. The number has to reflect the real busy day, staff and volunteers included, and a figure that doesn’t would be the first thing to come apart if anyone ever looked.

And there is no need. Being in scope at the Standard Tier is light, and the Workbook walks you through the whole thing in a few hours. It is quicker to do it properly, with your real numbers, than to build a case for being out — and it means your plan actually fits the day it is meant to cover.

Who carries the duty?

For a village or community hall, the responsible person is normally the operator, management committee or trustees — whoever controls the premises. A group that books the hall for an afternoon is using it, not running it, so the duty is not theirs, even though their event counts towards your numbers. This catches a lot of people out, so we have written it up separately: Hall hire: who is responsible?

What a hall actually has to do

If your hall is in scope at the Standard Tier — 200 to 799 — the requirements are lighter than people expect. There are two things:

  • Notify the SIA who the responsible person is, once the notification system opens. It has not opened yet, so there is nothing to register today.
  • Have workable public protection procedures, so far as is reasonably practicable: getting people out (evacuation), moving them to a safer place inside (invacuation), locking down, and communicating — so staff and volunteers know what to do and how to tell everyone else.

That is it. There is no mandatory training, nothing to buy and no building work at the Standard Tier. The aim is a plan the people on the door can actually follow on the night — not turning a village hall into a fortress.

The real challenge: volunteers and turnover

The hard part of a village hall is not the plan — it is keeping it alive through people coming and going. Committees change, and arrangements have a habit of walking out of the door with the last secretary.

  • The hall holds the plan. Keep it somewhere it is handed on with the keys, not in one person's head or inbox.
  • Give hirers the basics. A short note in the hire pack — where the exits are, where to assemble, who to call, what to do if told to stay put — does most of the work. A line in the hire agreement keeps it clear.
  • Review it when things change. A new layout, a bigger regular booking or a new committee is the moment to check the plan still fits.

You have time, but not a reason to wait

Martyn's Law is not in force yet. The statutory guidance was published on 15 April 2026, and commencement is expected in spring 2027 at the earliest, after a minimum 24-month implementation period. That is deliberate breathing space to get ready calmly — not a reason to put it off.

If your hall is funded through a parish or town council, it is worth flagging now so a small amount can go into next year's budget, well ahead of the duties applying.

Check your likely tier

Where the definitive answer is

For definitive information about whether your premises or event is within scope and what is required, refer to the current statutory guidance issued under the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025.

This article is general guidance, not legal advice, and it is not a substitute for the statutory guidance. For definitive information about whether your premises or event is within scope and what is required, refer to the current statutory guidance issued under the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025.