North Yorkshire Local Protect and Prepare groups

Protect and Prepare groups

Within North Yorkshire we have set up three local multi-agency protect and prepare groups covering the following areas:

• West (Ripon, Richmond, Skipton, Northallerton and surrounding areas)
• Central (Harrogate, Selby, Knaresborough, and Ainsty)
• East (Scarborough, Whitby, Thirsk, Malton and Easingwold)

These groups work in partnership with businesses and communities to identify risk and vulnerability in relation to a potential terrorist attack in North Yorkshire.

They develop short, medium and long-term strategies and plans to mitigate that risk, such as the delivery of support events, training, and exercises.

The groups have been set up to help businesses and organisations in North Yorkshire comply with the upcoming Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill, also known as Martyn’s Law.

The North Yorkshire Safety Advisory Group (SAG) will also be required to take into account Martyn’s Law when event plans are submitted.

For more information on local free training or to get involved with your local Protect and Prepare Group, please contact us.

What is Martyn's Law?

Martyn's Law introduces a legal requirement for certain public premises and events to:

• consider how they would respond to a terrorist attack
• put in place procedures that reduce the risk of harm, for example evacuation plans
• carry out proportionate security measures for larger venues such as monitoring, access control or bag checks

The aim is to keep the public safer and make sure venues are better prepared.

From April 2027, Martyn’s Law becomes a legal requirement for all venues and events expecting 200 or more attendees. Premises and organisers can begin preparing now, but compliance is not required until the law formally comes into force.

Affected organisations/events do not need to pay for external consultants. The government does not endorse third‑party compliance services. For information about available training view our Martyn's Law training section below. 

Who does Martyn’s Law apply to?

The Act uses a tiered approach based on the number of people who may be present at one time.

Standard tier

Premises or events expecting between 200 and 799 attendees must:

• notify the Security Industry Authority that they are responsible for the premises
• put in place simple, low‑cost public protection procedures

No physical security equipment is required.

Enhanced tier

Larger venues expecting over 800 attendees or controlled‑access events must:

• notify the Security Industry Authority
• put in place public protection procedures and proportionate security measures
• document these security measures and share them with the Security Industry Authority if required
• nominate a senior individual responsible for compliance (if run by an organisation)

Depending on capacity, Martyn’s Law may apply to:

• community centres and village halls
• town halls and civic venues
• libraries
• public parks hosting festivals or large events
• markets and fairs
• sports and leisure facilities

We will assess any premises or events that we manage that may fall within the scope of Martyn’s Law.

Martyn's Law training

Adult Learning North Yorkshire (rated good by Ofsted) are offering a free two hour training session that will cover:

• identifying groups and organisations affected by Martyn's Law
• the tiered approach adopted by the Act
• the actions that are needed to comply with Martyn's law

We will provide you with the essentials and then signpost you to the right next steps, so that you feel prepared and confident about this law.

Book a place for the Awareness Raising - Martyn's Law online session

If you have a team who would like to take part, we can either come to your premises to deliver the training or create a bespoke course tailored to your needs which can be run as an online or face-to-face session. For more information contact our Adult Learning team.

Other online training can be found on the ProtectUK website.