Martyn's Law and scout & guide halls: probably out of scope — here's how to be sure
Martyn's Law applies where 200 or more people may reasonably be expected at the same time — and most scout and guide HQ buildings never get close. For most groups the right outcome is a properly-made, properly-minuted "out of scope" conclusion. The two situations that change the answer: regularly hiring the hall out for large events, and district or county occasions held in your building.
Here's a guide that mostly gets to deliver good news. The threshold for Martyn's Law is 200 or more people reasonably expected at the same time, and a typical group HQ — a pack night of 24 Cubs, six leaders and a waiting parent or two — operates at a tenth of that. Most scout and guide buildings will be out of scope. The job isn't to panic; it's to be sure, write the conclusion down, and know which two situations would change it.
Doing the count properly
List your building's biggest realistic occasions over the last couple of years — not the weekly meetings, the exceptions:
- the AGM, awards evening or Christmas show with every section's families invited
- joint events with other groups in your building
- fundraisers — the jumble sale, the quiz night
- and anything your hirers run, if you let the hall out (more below)
Count everyone: young people, leaders, parents, helpers. If the biggest honest number is 120, you're comfortably out. If the panto-style Christmas show genuinely packs 250 into and around the building, you're in standard-tier territory and the standard tier guide tells you what that means — it's genuinely manageable.
Minute the conclusion — it's the whole job
For an out-of-scope building, the entire sensible response to Martyn's Law is one paragraph in the executive committee minutes: "The trustees considered the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 on [date]. Our largest realistic occasions are [event] (~[n] people) and [event] (~[n]). We conclude the premises falls below the 200 threshold and will review this annually and on any change of use." That's it. If anyone ever asks — your insurer, your district, a parent — the answer exists, dated and reasoned. Our scope checker walks you to the same conclusion in three minutes if you'd like the working shown.
(Your trustees are the likely "responsible person" under the Act, by the way — the body in control of the premises. Worth naming in the same minute.)
Exception one: hiring the hall out
Many group buildings earn their keep through hire — and the test looks at what may reasonably be expected at the premises, including hirers' events. If the hall is regularly let for occasions that can reach 200 (a community that books it for large gatherings, say), the building's realistic answer changes even though your meetings never would. If that's you, do the count on the hirers' biggest nights, and read the hirer section of our village halls guide — the dynamics are identical.
Exception two: district and county events
A district St George's Day service or county awards evening held in your building can be the one occasion a year that clears 200 — and one big day a year still counts; there's no occasional-use exemption. If your HQ is the building that hosts these, plan for standard tier. (Camps on open land are a different legal question — the law is about buildings and their grounds, and large open-air events have their own separate rules at a much higher threshold. Check the official guidance for those rather than this page.)
The instinct you already have
Scouting and Guiding run on exactly the disciplines this law rewards: risk thinking, records, briefing volunteers, looking after other people's children with paperwork to show for it. If your building is in scope, the four required procedures — evacuation, invacuation, lockdown, communication — will feel like familiar territory with one new question asked of it. You're closer than you think.
Common questions
Does Martyn's Law apply to scout huts and guide halls?
Usually not. The law applies where 200 or more people may reasonably be expected at the same time, and most group HQ buildings never approach that. The right response for most groups is to do the count honestly, conclude "out of scope", and minute that conclusion with the numbers — reviewing it annually.
We hire our hall out to other groups. Does that change things?
It can. The test covers what may reasonably be expected at the premises, including hirers' events. If regular lettings can realistically bring 200+ people, the building may be in scope even though your own meetings are small. Count the hirers' biggest occasions.
What about camps and large outdoor events?
Different question. Martyn's Law's premises rules concern buildings and the grounds used with them; large open-air events have separate provisions with a much higher threshold (800+). For camps on open land, refer to the official statutory guidance rather than the buildings test.
Three minutes, no sign-up: are you in scope?
Our free scope checker walks you through the 200 test properly. And if you'd like one plain-English email a month between now and commencement, join the countdown list.