SIA opens a consultation on its Martyn's Law guidance
Published
The Security Industry Authority has begun consulting on the guidance it plans to publish under the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025. This is your chance to see how the regulator intends to explain the duties before they take effect.
What happened
The Security Industry Authority (SIA), the regulator for Martyn's Law, has launched a consultation on the guidance it will issue under section 12 of the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025. The Act sets out the legal duties, and this guidance is intended to help venues understand what those duties mean in practice. A consultation means the SIA is gathering views before the wording is finalised, so nothing here is fixed yet.
What it means for venues
This is the SIA starting to explain, in plain terms, how it expects premises to approach the new rules. For pub landlords, church wardens, hall managers and event organisers, it is an early look at the kind of guidance you will eventually be able to rely on. Remember the duties themselves are not in force. Commencement is still expected around spring 2027, with the exact date to be confirmed.
What to do now
You do not need to act on the duties yet. If you have time, you can read the consultation and consider responding, especially if you run a venue in the standard tier (200 to 799 people) or enhanced tier (800 or more). Otherwise, treat this as a signal that clearer guidance is on the way, and keep familiarising yourself with the basics.
Keep it in perspective
A consultation is a draft stage, not the final word. Wording can change before the guidance is published. Use this period to prepare and get comfortable with the direction of travel, rather than to make firm decisions based on text that is still open to change.
This is our plain-English summary. Read the original in full at ADS Advance.