Check before you plan
Many huts never reach 200 people, even at their busiest. The free scope check tells you in two minutes whether the law applies to yours.
Martyn's Law for scout and guide huts
Many huts hold fewer than 200 people, and the law starts at 200. If yours can take more at a fundraiser, a disco or a hiring, the law asks for a few simple plans and a team who knows them. hailo writes them for your building and briefs your leaders, helpers and hirers.
Download Martyn's Law on one page for your noticeboard or committee (PDF, free).
When you might reach 200
- Fundraisers, fairs and quiz nights
- Discos and parties for young people
- Presentation evenings with families
- Weekend hirings by other groups
Count staff and volunteers too. Not sure? Check your venue.
A worked example
Get everyone out plan1st Millbrook Scout Hut
Up to 220 people at once ยท standard tier
During a packed fundraising disco, a leader is told of a threat at the front of the hut.
- 1The leader on the door tells the other leaders using the agreed phrase.
- 2Leaders take the young people out through the fire exits at the back, away from the front.
- 3Each leader takes their own group away from the hut, in different directions, and counts them once they're clear.
- 4The person in charge calls 999 and keeps everyone together until the police say it's safe.
Who counts in a hut
Count everyone who could be in the hut at the same time: young people, leaders, young leaders, parent helpers, families and guests. The Home Office counts volunteers as staff, so every leader and helper counts.
What doesn't add up is different sections on different nights. Beavers on Monday, Cubs on Tuesday and Scouts on Wednesday are separate counts, and so are Rainbows, Brownies and Guides. Two sections back to back don't add up either if the first has gone home.
Many huts never reach 200. In the Home Office's own example, a village hall used by Scouts, Guides and sports clubs is out of scope, because its records show no more than 150 people at once in five years. Your own records can do the same job.
Busy days when families come
The busiest times are usually the ones with families inside: a presentation evening, the summer fair, a Christmas party, a jumble sale or a group's anniversary celebration.
Hirings matter too. If the hut is hired for a party, a Diwali celebration, an Eid gathering or a quiz that fills it, count those nights. If any of them regularly brings 200 or more at once, the law applies.
A one-off that nobody could have expected, and won't happen again, doesn't count on its own. Open spaces such as a public park or recreation ground are left out of the law unless entry is checked.
Hirers and other groups
When you hire out your building, you stay the responsible person. The Home Office's guidance says to explain to each hirer what's expected of them, and to be able to show the SIA that you did.
Huts are often let to other groups: a dance class, a toddler group, a martial arts club, a family party. Each hirer should know the ways out, which room to bring people into, and who calls 999. Put it in your hire terms and keep a note of who you briefed.
A second plan for a made-up guide hall
Here's part of a made-up guide hall's plan for bringing everyone in (invacuation) on a summer fair day, when most people are outside.
Leaders already know who is in their own unit, so the plan uses that to count everyone in.
From a made-up plan
Bring everyone in plan2nd Millbrook Guides' Hall
A made-up hall with one main room, a kitchen and a field at the back used for the summer fair.
- When we use it
- There's a threat in the road or near the field, and inside is safer.
- Who starts it
- The leader in charge of the fair, using the agreed phrase.
- What we say
- Leaders call their own unit in first, then families. Stallholders leave their stalls where they are.
- Where people go
- Into the main room, away from the front windows. The last leader in closes the doors.
- Counting
- Each leader counts their own unit and tells the leader in charge who is missing.
- Who calls 999
- The leader in charge. Parents who aren't there get a message once everyone is safe inside.
Getting ready with leaders who change
The responsible person is usually the trustees or executive committee that runs the building, rather than one leader. If more than one group shares control of the hut, each is responsible and you work together.
Leaders and helpers come and go, so keep the plans short and brief each new person when they join. The Home Office's guidance says a briefing or an induction can be enough, tailored to your own building.
Even if your hut is under 200, a short plan for emergencies is a good habit. If it's over, the duties are expected to start in spring 2027.
Why hailo suits scout and guide huts
Written for leaders and helpers
Leaders, young leaders and parent helpers change often. Each gets their own short briefing link and confirms they've read it.
Hirers too
If other groups hire the hut, the hirer gets a briefing for the building when they book, so the plan works on their night as well as yours.
What the law asks at the standard tier
Get everyone out
Evacuation
How you move people out of the building, or part of it, quickly and safely.
Bring everyone in
Invacuation
How you bring people inside, or to a safer room, when outside is the danger.
Lock down
Lockdown
How you stop people getting in or out, for example by locking doors.
Keep people informed
Communication
How you tell people what's happening and what to do: stay put, or move away.
What the standard tier doesn't ask for
No hardware, no guards, no course. It's about plans and people knowing them.Home Office factsheet
- Not needed: Security staff
- Not needed: Bag searches
- Not needed: CCTV or new equipment
- Not needed: Building work
- Not needed: A training course
Guidance worth reading from government and sector bodies
- National Youth Agency: Martyn's Law, terrorism preparedness in youth work settings (free guide)
- Home Office: scope factsheet (which premises are in scope)
- Home Office: standard duty requirements factsheet
Other organisations' guidance, for information. We don't endorse it and it isn't legal advice.
Questions
Does Martyn's Law apply to our hut?
Only if 200 or more people, including leaders and helpers, can reasonably be expected in the building at the same time. Many huts never get that busy. Count your busiest event, such as a fundraiser or a disco, not a weekly meeting.
Do the young people count?
Yes. Count everyone who could be in the building at the same time: young people, leaders, helpers, parents and guests.
Who is the responsible person for a hut?
Usually the body that runs the building, such as the group's trustees or executive committee, rather than one leader. hailo helps you record who it is and tell the SIA.
Do different sections' meetings add up?
No. Count the most people in the hut at the same time. Beavers on Monday and Scouts on Wednesday are separate counts, and so are two sections back to back if the first has gone home.
Do parents waiting at pick-up count?
Count anyone who is inside the hut at the same time, parents included. People waiting outside in the street aren't counted. It's usually the events with families inside that set your number.
Our hut holds fewer than 200. Should we still plan?
The law won't apply, but a short plan for emergencies is still a good idea. It helps new leaders know what to do, and hirers know what to expect.
Do young leaders need to be briefed?
Anyone with a part to play in the plans needs to know them and what to do. That can include young leaders, briefed in a way that suits them.
Does the free scope check work for huts?
Yes. It asks what the building is, how many people can be there at once and about big events, then tells you whether the law applies. It takes two minutes and sends nothing.
Do we need to buy anything for the hut?
No. The standard tier doesn't ask for security staff, bag searches, CCTV or building work. It's about simple plans and leaders who know them.
Read next in plain English
Guides
- What is Martyn's Law? A plain-English guide for venues
- Martyn's Law checklist: what to do, step by step
- What is invacuation? Bringing people inside, safely
- Martyn's Law and your fire risk assessment: what you can reuse
- Helping everyone out: people who can't move quickly
- Who is the responsible person for Martyn's Law?
- Does Martyn's Law need training?
- Martyn's Law penalties and fines: what really happens
- When does Martyn's Law come into force?
- Martyn's Law enhanced tier and qualifying events, in plain English
- Martyn's Law quick guide
- Martyn's Law committee pack
- Martyn's Law plan templates
- Questions to ask before you buy Martyn's Law software
- Martyn's Law glossary