Resources
Who is the Responsible Person?
Every venue covered by Martyn's Law needs a responsible person. This is simply the person who's accountable for making sure your venue's safety procedures are in place and up to date.
Who should it be?
For most venues, it's straightforward. The responsible person is usually the individual with day-to-day control of the premises. Here's how that works across different venue types:
Read this before the list below
For most venues the responsible person is whoever has control of the premises day to day, and the examples below reflect that. But the Act names the responsible person outright for some premises, and where it does, that overrides the general rule. Schedule 1 does so for hospitals, primary and secondary schools, further education institutions, higher education institutions (the governing body), and premises where a public authority provides facilities or services to the public — there, the authority itself is the responsible person, not a manager it employs. Some premises are also excluded from the Act altogether under Schedule 2. Check your own position rather than relying on a general example.
Village hall or community centre
The committee chair, bookings secretary, or centre manager — whoever is responsible for the day-to-day running of the building.
Church or place of worship
The churchwarden, mosque committee chair, synagogue administrator, or equivalent — the person who manages the premises on behalf of the congregation.
Gym or fitness centre
The gym manager or general manager. In a chain, it will typically be the senior person with operational control of that specific site.
Large pub or public house
The premises licence holder or designated premises supervisor (DPS) — typically the pub manager or landlord who holds legal responsibility for the licensed premises.
Restaurant (200+ capacity)
The restaurant manager or general manager of that site. For a chain, it is the individual with day-to-day operational control of the specific restaurant, not a regional or head office manager.
Bar, cocktail bar or nightclub
The premises licence holder or the most senior manager on site — usually the venue manager or operations manager named on the premises licence.
Large retail store or supermarket
The store manager or operations manager responsible for that branch. Head office cannot be the responsible person — it must be someone with direct control of the specific premises.
Department store
The store general manager. In large department stores with multiple floors, this is the person with overall site responsibility, not a floor or department manager.
Theatre or cinema
The venue manager or operations director. For larger organisations, it may be the site general manager rather than someone at group level.
Bowling alley or bingo hall
The site or general manager with responsibility for staff and customer safety at that location.
Conference or wedding venue
The venue manager or events director — the person who oversees the day-to-day operation and has authority to implement safety procedures.
Indoor market or shopping arcade
The market manager or the person appointed by the market operator who has control of the physical premises and the traders within it.
Leisure centre or sports facility
Careful here. Where the facility is provided by a local authority to the public, Schedule 1 paragraph 17 makes the authority itself the responsible person — not the centre manager it employs. Where a leisure trust or private operator runs it, the operator with control of the premises is. Separately, an outdoor sports ground that is not a designated sports ground may be excluded under Schedule 2 if nobody checks who comes in.
Social club, working men's club or members' club
The club secretary or general manager — whoever holds responsibility for the premises licence and day-to-day operations.
Hotel bar, banqueting suite or function room
The hotel general manager or the events/banqueting manager where the function space operates semi-independently with its own public access.
Soft play centre or indoor children's activity venue
The centre manager or owner-operator. These venues can hold 200+ parents and children combined and fall squarely within the standard tier.
Snooker hall or amusement arcade
The premises manager or licence holder. Large snooker halls and arcades in busy town centres regularly exceed the 200-person threshold.
Live music venue or comedy club
The venue manager or promoter who has contractual control of the premises on event nights.
University student union bar or campus venue
Depends on what the building is mainly used for. A bar or entertainment venue falls under the food and drink or entertainment uses, and the responsible person is whoever controls that venue — often the student union. But where premises are used for the purposes of the higher education institution itself, Schedule 1 paragraph 16 makes the governing body of the institution the responsible person, and that includes student accommodation the institution manages.
Exhibition hall or trade show space
For the premises themselves, the venue operations manager with control of the building. But a specific event can be a qualifying event in its own right where 800 or more are expected and entry is controlled — and for that event the responsible person is whoever controls the premises in connection with it, which is frequently the organiser rather than the venue. The two can sit side by side.
Airport departure lounge or transport hub
Usually outside the Act entirely. Schedule 2 paragraph 4 excludes premises where an aerodrome security plan, a railway security instruction, a Channel Tunnel direction or a port security plan is in force — which covers most airports, major stations and port facilities. Their existing transport security regimes apply instead.
Museum, gallery or visitor attraction
The venue or operations manager. National and regional museums frequently have 200+ visitors in the building at any one time.
- If the venue is run by a charity or a limited company, the responsible person is that organisation, and where it is an organisation rather than an individual there is a separate step of naming a senior individual to take ownership of compliance. If it is run by a council or another public authority providing facilities to the public, Schedule 1 paragraph 17 makes the authority itself the responsible person.
- It can be a shared role — but there should be one named individual who takes the lead and is formally identified in your documentation.
What does the responsible person actually do?
Your job as the responsible person isn't complicated. It means you:
- Make sure the venue has the necessary written procedures in place.
- Make sure your team understands what to do.
- Keep a simple record of your briefing activity.
- Review your procedures regularly.
- Register with the SIA when the scheme opens.
What if I'm a volunteer or a committee member?
That's fine — the law is designed to be proportionate. For a village hall, community centre, or church run by volunteers, the responsible person might be the committee chair, the bookings secretary, or the warden. It's about having someone who can say "yes, we've got a plan and our volunteers know about it." The Home Office guidance specifically recognises that many smaller venues are run by volunteers and the requirements reflect that.
For commercial venues like retail stores, gyms, or cinemas, the responsible person is more likely to be a paid manager — but the obligations are the same. Size and commercial status don't change what's required, only who the natural person to fill the role is.
Does the responsible person need special training?
No — there's no requirement for formal security qualifications. You just need to understand what your venue's procedures say and make sure others do too. That said, it's sensible to stay informed. Reading the Home Office statutory guidance and checking for updates on gov.uk is a good habit.
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Our wizard will ask who your responsible person is — it takes two minutes.
This page summarises the Section 27 statutory guidance published by the Home Office (April 2026). Always refer to the official guidance on gov.uk for the authoritative text.