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The Home Office recently published its section 27 statutory guidance for the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 – informally known as Martyn's Law, after Martyn Hett, one of the 22 people killed in the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing attack.The guidance explains which premises and events will be in scope, what the legal duties require, the Security Industry Authority (SIA) regulator's role and the compliance and enforcement framework.The duties in the Act are expected to commence after the statutory implementation period which the Home Office has signalled as an enforcement window around spring 2027 – ahead of the 10th anniversary of the Manchester Arena terror attack – giving local authorities plenty of time to plan and prepare.Why this matters for local governmentFor the first time, many premises and events in the local government estate will need to consider the terrorist threat and implement proportionate measures to reduce the impact of a terrorist attack. These include civic buildings, libraries, leisure centres, theatres, markets, council-run venues, schools where the council is the responsible body, and licensing-regulated businesses within the council area.The Act raises baseline preparedness and protective security in places that are publicly accessible and where it is reasonable to expect 200 or more people – standard tier – may be present at the same time, from time to time. It also creates an enhanced tier – 800 and above – for larger or higher-risk premises that face additional requirements. Councils across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will need to both prepare their own premises and where possible, support and advise qualifying premises or events.Key points from the section 27 guidancePremises are in scope if they meet the Act's definition of premises, wholly or mainly used for a ‘Schedule 1 use', including retail, hospitality, leisure, transport hubs, healthcare, education, public authorities and if they meet either the standard or enhanced tier thresholds.The Act sets out the legal requirements for the ‘responsible person' – an individual or entity in charge of the management or control of a qualifying premise – who must put in place appropriate and reasonably practicable public protection procedures such as evacuation, invacuation, lockdown, communications and liaison with the regulator.It mandates that all staff in qualifying premises receive training to improve preparedness, including baseline awareness for all and role-specific training for those managing procedures. Training is designed to prepare, protect and respond against terrorism.The SIA will soon issue its own section 12 statutory guidance on its approach to inspection and compliance. It is important to note that the regulator does not have the capacity or capability to visit and inspect every venue and it is the responsibility of the qualifying premise or event to notify the SIA if they are in scope.Failure to comply with the Act can result in financial penalties from limited sums for standard tier contraventions to significant fines for enhanced tier venues, such as up to £18m or 5% of global qualifying revenue and information around financial penalties.How local government can prepare for enforcementMany councils and businesses have already adopted proactive approaches to improve preparedness by forming strategic relationships with Counter Terrorism Policing, local police forces and by working with security experts.Manchester City Council is working closely with Greater Manchester Police, business improvement districts and the night-time economy to roll out free training for businesses. Thousands of staff have now completed free Action Counters Terrorism Security e-learning and attended sessions to strengthen preparedness and resilience. This also means that you are never more than five shops away from a Public Access Trauma kit in the city centre.Many larger venues across the country, such as the AO Arena in Manchester, London's Madame Tussauds and Tottenham Hotspur stadium have invested in counter-terror technology.Similarly, many schools, colleges and universities are taking early action by practising lockdowns and safety measures that strengthen their preparedness and response to a potential terrorist attack.Rogue operatorsIt is essential to note that the Act has deliberately been designed to be proportionate in order to avoid placing undue cost burdens on venues and events, especially in the standard tier threshold.There are businesses acting in good faith to prepare their clients and proactively engaging with local authorities to strengthen counter terrorism measures. However, there are still rogue operators seeking to make a quick profit by misleading venue owners and event organisers.While the Home Office and SIA will not provide a list of approved providers, you can take advantage of non-corporate networks such as the Martyn's Law Forum on LinkedIn to engage with professionals across different sectors.Local government will play a key role in strengthening local and national preparedness and should keep an eye out for the publication of the SIA's guidance in the coming months. This will then lead to the Home Office and SIA confirming the exact date when the Act takes effect.Nathan Emmerich is the founder of SW-One. a strategic communications consultancy and an adviser to Figen Murray, the initiator of Martyn's Law

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EMERGENCY PLANNING

Martyn's Law gets set for 2027

By Nathan Emmerich | 21 May 2026

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