SIA's consultation on its Martyn's Law guidance has now closed

According to a report in StandOut Magazine, the Security Industry Authority (SIA) has closed its consultation on the guidance it intends to issue for the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, better known as Martyn's Law. The SIA is the regulator named under the Act. A consultation is the stage where the regulator gathers views before finalising what it publishes, so this marks progress towards clearer, settled guidance for venues.

The duties under Martyn's Law are not in force yet. Commencement is expected in spring 2027, and the exact date has still to be confirmed. The closing of this consultation does not change any deadlines or create new obligations today. It simply means the SIA is working through the feedback it received and moving towards publishing guidance that venues will eventually be able to read.

There is nothing you need to act on because of this step alone. It is a good moment, though, to keep familiarising yourself with the two tiers under the Act: the standard tier covers places where 200 to 799 people may reasonably be expected at the same time, and the enhanced tier covers 800 or more. Those counts include staff, so it is worth getting a rough sense of where your venue sits.

Once the SIA publishes its finalised guidance, it should give a clearer picture of what the regulator expects and how its notification process will work. That process is not live yet. We will keep tracking these developments so you can prepare calmly and in good time, rather than all at once.