Martyn’s Law Public Consultation

by CCVS Development Officer, Jigna Vyas Gosal. 12 March 2024.

If you operate a venue or an event with a capacity of 100+, this will impact you. 
 

The Government is currently consulting on The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Bill also known as ‘Martyn’s Law’ in tribute to Martyn Hett, who was tragically killed alongside 21 others in the Manchester Arena terrorist attack in 2017. 

Martyn’s Law will aim to improve the safety and security of public venues and keep the British public safe from terrorism. Those responsible for public venues will have to consider the threat of terrorism and implement appropriate and proportionate mitigation measures.   

 
Please take a few minutes to complete this consultation. This is your chance to have your voice heard. They particularly welcome views from those responsible for the smaller premises which would fall within the Standard Tier, (with a capacity of 100) especially those in the community and voluntary sector.  

The consultation can be completed online or in an alternative format upon request. The closing date is Monday 18 March 2024. The response will be published in due course. Complete the consultation here. 

Will my centre be affected? 

If your venue capacity is under 100 Martyn’s Law will not affect you.  

If you run a public centre (see list below) or event with a capacity of over 100 you will be eligible under Martyn’s law  

1. Capacity: The maximum occupancy of the premises meets a specified threshold – either 100+ (Standard Tier) or 800+ (Enhanced Tier) 

2. If your public venue provides (qualifying activity): 

• Entertainment and leisure. 
• Retail. 
• Food and drink. 
• Museums and galleries. 
• Sports grounds. 
• Public areas of local and central government buildings (such as town halls). 
• Visitor attractions. 
• Places of worship, health, and education.

3. Eligible premises will be those which are either: 

• a Building (including collections of buildings used for the same purposes, e.g. a campus). 
• a Location/Event (including a temporary event) that has a defined boundary and capacity. 

If you run a venue or event capacity of 100+ you will need to: (Standard Tier Requirements.) 

1. Notify the Regulator that you or have become, responsible for premises.  

2. Have in place reasonably practical measures that could be expected to reduce the risk of physical harm to individuals at the premises in the event of an attack. It is not expected or required that physical changes will be made, or additional equipment will need to be purchased for Standard Tier premises. Measures could include:  

• locking doors to reduce attackers access whilst guiding staff and customers to alternative exits.  
• completion of appropriate training such as first aid and preparedness from Protect UK

If you run a venue or event with a capacity of 800+ you will need to (Enhanced tier requirements) ensure that you undertake a thorough and reasonably practicable risk assessment and have a clear security plan.  

Places of worship will receive individual treatment. All places of worship will be placed within the standard tier regardless of their capacity. There will be a small number of exceptions across all faiths, for those that charge tourists for entry or hire out the site for large commercial events. 

How will this affect accessibility? Most changes will involve security systems, procedures and how staff are trained. If you do make any changes to your venues as a result of Martyn’s law you must ensure that the changes do not limit accessibility. 

Enforcing the law 

Who is the Regulator? The regulator will be identified when the bill is enacted.  

Guidance and support from ProtectUK is available to ensure that those in scope have the required information on what to do and how best to do it.  

Martyn’s Law will extend to and apply across the whole of the United Kingdom. 

Further information and resources:  

Martyns Law Factsheet from the Home Office  

Protect UK overview on Martyns Law 

Onlinefistaid.com blog on Martyns Law 

Volunteering brings people together

As we launch www.volunteercambs.org.uk to try and match volunteers and organisations, and to try and draw more people into volunteering this is a timely reminder from Rob Jackson about how volunteering can bring people together and build connections and understanding.

Across the divide

Work, skills and health

By CCVS CEO, Mark Freeman, February 2024

A short blog to update those organisations that have an interest in skills, learning and employment support. This is based on CCVS attendance at various meetings and the publication of a new Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Work Health and Wellbeing Strategy.

Support Cambs were invited to be a part of the Work Health and Wellbeing Strategy Group and CCVS took up the opportunity as it relates to the work of the GET (Guidance, Employment and Training) network. This invite came at the end of the work to develop the strategy so we had less input than we would have liked. It was also at the same time that a bid was being developed for government funding that would help those with long term health conditions maintain or get into work. Again, we came to this late and it would have been better if we had been involved from the start. The fact that we are engaged is a positive, if the bid is successful then I can see the VCS being able to find some funding. I also believe that there is a real desire from the authors and principal partners to include the VCS moving forward.

Why is a strategy needed?

There is a growing evidence base that more people are not working because of health reasons since the pandemic ended. Unsurprisingly government wants to see these people getting back into work, paying taxes and not being on benefits. That said there are also lots of reasons why it is good for individuals to be able to take on appropriate work, not least the fact it can benefit their overall wellbeing as well as most likely making them better off.

The strategy states:

“The majority of people spend the greatest proportion of their lives as part of the working age population. There is solid evidence that jobs and the workplace environment are key influencers on health and wellbeing outcomes.

There is also a strong economic case for Work and Health action, nationally combined costs from worklessness and sickness absence amount to around £100 billion annually.  In the UK, 131 million working days are lost to sickness absence every year.  34.3 million days are lost to minor illness, 28.2 million days lost to Musculoskeletal problems and 14.2 million days lost to stress, depression, and anxiety.

Enabling people with health issues to obtain or retain work, and be productive within the workplace, is therefore a crucial part of the economic success and wellbeing of every community and industry.”

It is worth looking at the executive summary of the strategy and we have uploaded this onto the GET network website. (this will download a pdf).

 This states that:

“The Work, Health and Wellbeing strategy has a vision that aims to ensure that the system through working together will enable:

“A healthy workforce that supports a local healthy economy, that there is good work for everyone, and that disability or poor health is not a barrier to being in work.”

The Strategy has two core and one cross cutting strategic ambition.

●             To ensure that there is robust support in place for people with a disability or health condition who are not working to help them back into employment. This will include addressing their health, social care and skills needs as part of increasing the overall support for getting them back to work.

●             To ensure that people have “good” work. That there is secure employment, with good wages, fair terms and conditions and working environments that support good health and enable those with a long-term health condition or disability to remain in work.

●             To ensure that the multiple needs of working age people who have a disability or long-term health condition to enter and remain in work are met though increased engagement and integration of services across the system and a commitment to employers and employees being engaged in shaping the Strategy and its delivery.”

In their words

“The Strategy will support delivery of a range of outcomes that will contribute to the overall health of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough population. The ambition is for more people across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough remain fit and healthy throughout their working lives, a reduction in health inequalities and a vibrant growing economy.”

What about the funding bid?

The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough area had been a pilot to start to look at this and it had been proposed to set up ‘Healthy Work Hubs’ (my name) in three parts of the county, Peterborough, Wisbech and Cambridge City and surrounding area. This work is progressing. On the back of the strategy and this work an application has been made to government for funding to build on this work. This will see significant amounts of funding over a number of years that will support getting people back into work. We are waiting information as to the success, but it is likely the pot will be oversubscribed.

So, what about the VCS?

As I said we have come to the discussions late. We commented on both the strategy and on the bid and whist our comments were noted and did make for minor changes we did not get involvement early enough for this to look anything like a co-produced way forward may have looked.

We have had confirmation that the work that the VCS does around support for those looking to get employed, and the importance that volunteering can play in the journey back to work is understood. I think that there will be a genuine desire to work with and possibly fund the sector moving forward, I also believe that now we have a seat at the table we will be able to influence future plans and possible funding bids.

The strategy authors have already attended a GET network meeting to let people know what was happening and where their thinking was. You can see the slides here (this will download a pdf) and watch the video of the presentation here.

Want to stay informed?

If you wish to stay informed on this topic (or any aspect of work, funding and policy around skills and employment) then you should join the GET network. The current form of the network is evolving following the transfer to CCVS but to find out more then check out the GET network website.

We will invite statutory partners to come back to the GET meetings with updates on funding or the strategy and the GET contact list will be informed of any opportunities that arise. We will also look at how this work fits in with other strategies, funding pots and initiatives coming from all local and national partners.

How to nominate a voluntary champion for an honour or award

by CCVS Communications and Development Worker, Karen Cann. February 2024.

The UK honours system recognises people in the voluntary sector who have gone above and beyond to shape and improve their communities, and who have made a significant impact, making life better for others. 

For those actively involved in charity or community work, the most relevant honours include the Order of the British Empire (OBE), the Member of the British Empire (MBE), and the British Empire Medal (BEM). 

Do you know someone who has been exceptional and made a positive impact in the charity or community sector? Perhaps a community leader, volunteer or philanthropist who has made a real difference? 

The great news is, to nominate – it’s easier than you think! 

Anyone can be nominated – it isn’t to do with age, class or how long they have been working or volunteering. 

When nominating, you don’t specify what honour you would like your nominee to receive – that will be decided by the honours committee. 

How do I nominate someone? 

You could start today! There isn’t a specific deadline: you can submit your nomination at any time of the year and the process takes one to two years to verify. Try to nominate when your individual is still active. 

Nomination forms are available online, and require detailed information about the individual’s accomplishments. 

You’ll need to begin with why you are nominating your person, and this will include their: 

• Name 
• Address 
• Contact details 
• Relevant work or volunteering 
• Recognition they have received, such as awards 
• Two supporting letters 

Please use descriptive sentences to describe the transformative nature of their efforts. Highlight specific projects, initiatives, or programmes they have contributed to, along with details of the benefits to the community and the lives they’ve touched.  

In simple terms: why is their work important? 

A few tips! 

• Please use all the characters you are given and try not to leave any part of the form blank. 
• Provide some background to the organisation they are working or volunteering for. 
• Link facts, such as roles, dates, and actions, to the impact your nominee has made. 
• Provide evidence to back everything up. 

Please do not list all their work roles, qualifications, and achievements in a ‘CV’ style. 

The focus should be on their IMPACT and the selfless way they have provided service and changed lives for the better. Tell their story! 

To do this, the committee recommend that you think about: 

• What were things like before their efforts began? 
• How are things now?  
• What makes the nominee different from other people doing similar work? 

You will need to gather and provide evidence for your individual’s achievements, such as news articles, weblinks, photos and other relevant files. 

Supporting letters  

Anyone who has worked with or has experienced the work of the individual can write a letter of recommendation to be submitted along with the nomination. It should be from people who know the nominee, such as: 

• Someone from the nominee’s organisation or community. 
• A high-profile individual such as a local councillor or MP. 
• Someone who works alongside them. 

Confidentiality 

Please keep everything confidential – it is very important that the individual doesn’t find out that they are being nominated, as they will feel disappointed if they don’t receive an award. Moreover, there will be personal data collected so be careful where this is stored. 

Please don’t worry about nominating, the honours committee doesn’t expect the submission to be perfect or overly formal – so give it a go! 

The Honours are announced at New Year and on the King’s birthday. You shouldn’t contact the committee about your nomination – if you are successful, the honour will be made public. If you haven’t heard after two years, then you may submit again. 

The UK Honours system is a powerful way to celebrate and elevate those who make a significant difference in the charity and community sector. By nominating individuals for these awards, not only do we recognise their efforts, but it could also inspire others to contribute to the well-being of their communities and highlight some fantastic organisations along the way!  

So, why not celebrate one of your staff or volunteers, an unsung hero who works hard to create positive change, they may really appreciate the award! 

For more information please visit: Nominate someone for an honour or award: Overview – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) 

This nomination process is for individuals only, to nominate a voluntary group for The King’s Award for Voluntary Service: The King’s Award for Voluntary Service: Overview – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) 

A thoughtful blog on what it means to be a volunteer manager

We recommend Rob’s blogs that cover all aspects of managing volunteers and being a volunteer manager.

How many of you who do this role have it as the primary or only thing you are responsible for. In small charities it is tagged onto a role and sometimes not given the time and recognition it deserves.

Schrödinger’s profession