Terror Bill: is your church aware of it?

All churches which hold 100 people or more will be affected by legal requirements to notify a regulator and prepare for the possibility of a terrorist attack, if the proposed ‘protect duty’ becomes law.

The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill will impose requirements on both large publicly accessible and ‘smaller premises’ (and events) in readiness for a potential attack and for public protection. A new regulator will also be appointed with powers of inspection and enforcement.

The requirements for smaller premises (‘standard tier premises’) have been set out in a recent public consultation (which closed on 18 March) and will apply to places of worship – among other venues – with a capacity of between 100 and 799 individuals. Responses are now being analysed.