Martyn's Law for village halls
Martyn's Law for village and community halls
Martyn's Law applies once 200 people may reasonably be present in your hall at once. That turns on your busiest booking, not an average one.
Does it apply to you
A wedding you did not organise can still put you in scope.
Count everyone in the building at your busiest realistic hire, not your typical Tuesday quiz night.
It turns on the busiest event
A wedding, a wake, a quiz night that runs long. The test is what is reasonable to expect from time to time, not the average booking on your calendar.
Your hirers' staff are your headcount
Caterers, bar staff, a band, a bouncy castle operator. If they are in the building at the same time as the guests, they count.
Responsibility follows control, not the booking
Who the responsible person is depends on who controls the premises at the time. If more than one body has a role, the Act expects you to coordinate.
Committees change, the duty does not
Treasurers and bookings secretaries turn over regularly. Whoever holds the role needs to know what is in place, not just the person who set it up.
What the standard tier asks
Four procedures, and a notification to the SIA.
- Evacuation
- Moving people away from danger, out of the building.
- Invacuation
- Moving people to a safer place inside the building.
- Lockdown
- Securing the premises so people cannot enter or leave.
- Communication
- Telling staff and the public what is happening and what to do.
These four, so far as reasonably practicable, plus telling the SIA your hall is in scope. Where the hall is hired out and control passes to someone else, coordinate with them on who does what.
What it does not ask: standard tier does not require you to buy equipment, hire security staff or use any particular product. Detailed documentation is recommended, not required by law, though a written note of what you agreed is usually worth the ten minutes it takes.
How Muster helps
Procedures a volunteer committee can pick up, whoever is on it this year.
Muster drafts the four procedures for your hall, then keeps a record of who has been briefed. When someone new joins the committee, you can show them exactly what is agreed. One hall qualifies for the founder rate.
Questions people actually ask
Straight answers for village and community halls.
Our hall is quiet most weeks. Does Martyn's Law still apply?
It depends on your busiest realistic event, not a normal week. A hall that is quiet all year but once holds a 250-person wedding needs to think that through honestly.
Do the caterers and band count towards our number?
Yes. Anyone in the building at the same time as your guests counts. That includes staff a hirer brings in, such as caterers, bar staff or a band.
Who is responsible when we hire the hall out?
It depends on who controls the premises at the time. Where more than one body has a role, the Act expects you to coordinate. Agree it in writing before you need it.
Do we need to buy any equipment?
No. Standard tier does not require equipment, security staff or any particular product. It asks for four procedures and a notification to the SIA.
If we are under 200, is there anything to do?
Plenty of halls genuinely stay under 200 all year. If that is a fair assessment, write down the figure and the basis, and get on with your year.
Find out where your hall stands in about a minute.
Six questions, a cited answer, and a result you can print and take to your committee.