From good to have to must have

Crisis communications for certain public venues will be a statutory requirement under Martyn’s Law next year so planning should start now.

It has always been good practice for organisations to have a crisis communications plan in place but from next year it will become a legal requirement for establishments with specified attendance capacity. Martyn’s Law – otherwise The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025 – is named after Martyn Hett, one of the 22 people killed in the 2017 bombing of the Manchester Arena at a concert by American star Ariana Grande. Its introduction follows incessant campaigning by his mother

It will bring fundamental change to how public venues handle crisis communications enhancing its role from reputation management to statutory, real-time operational function.

The legislation is expected to come into force next Spring and places a number of new requirements on premises which are divided into two tiers by their capacity; Tier One that can hold from 200 to 799 and Enhanced Tier that can hold over 800. As well sports stadiums, concert venues and shopping centres etc, the Act will also apply to schools, colleges and other educational establishments that so Principals, Heads, Senior Leadership Teams and Governors need to start planning now to be compliant.

The legislation requires those organisations in scope to have documented procedures for :- Evacuation, Invacuation (sheltering in place) Lockdown and Communication

Communications will no longer be just a best-practice element of crisis management but a statutory part of the organisation’s ’demonstrable preparation’ for terrorist incidents.

Crisis communications plans will need to include emergency messaging templates, multi-channel preparedness and clear decision-making authority with delegated roles and responsibilities. The aim is to learn from the tragic mistakes and failures, the chaos and confusion, the misinformation and disinformation that occurred in the immediate wake of the bombing at the Manchester Arena.

As a journalist I covered events such as Bloody Sunday in Londonderry, the Hillsborough disaster and the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, the UK’s worst mass casualty terrorist event. I saw at first-hand how organisations could be overwhelmed by demands for quick, accurate information – and that was before the advent of social media and all the added immediacy and the mis-information and deliberate disinformation risks it has brought.

I now use that experience to advise a wide range of organisations, including schools and colleges, on all aspects of crisis communications planning.

If you want to know more about how Square One Consultants can help you prepare for Martyn’s Law, then please contact me at peter@squareoneconsultants.co.uk