The Government has launched a consultation to help work out the best way to introduce ‘Martyn’s Law’ across the UK.
Named in honour of Martyn Hett, who was one of the 22 victims that sadly lost their life during the Manchester Arena attack in 2017, ‘Martyn’s Law’ will require premises to fulfil what the Government has called “necessary but proportionate” steps, according to their capacity, to help keep the general public safe.
It was approved back in September 2022, thanks to a campaign spearheaded by Martyn’s mother, Figen Murray.
Today, we announced how #MartynsLaw will help protect public spaces from terror attacks.
Named in of honour of Martyn Hett, who lost his life in the Manchester Arena attack, this is what the law will do ⤵️
The new law will “scale-up preparedness for terrorist attacks” and make sure the public is protected – but the Government says it’s keen to do this without affecting small businesses.
The way Government ministers have proposed to do this is to consider premises either ‘standard tier’, meaning they have capacity of 100-799, or ‘enhanced tier’, with a capacity of 800 or more.
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The consultation on these updated approaches – which launched this week, and is open to the public to have their say until 18 March – will seek views to make sure the new requirements “do not place undue burdens” on some of the country’s smaller businesses, all while still protecting the public.
A consultation has been launched to work out how to best introduce ‘Martyn’s Law’ across the UK / Credit: gov.uk
“Simple steps save lives,” commented Security Minister Tom Tugendhat, as the consultation officially launched.
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“Martyn’s Law will help protect the British public from terrorism, and make sure public premises are better prepared in the event of a terror attack [but] I want to make sure that our proposals are balanced and proportionate, and that’s why our updated approach is easy to implement, and better tailored to individual businesses.
“I’d encourage smaller premises to share their feedback on these crucial changes, as your views will help ensure that Martyn’s Law stands the test of time.”
🗓️22 May 2017
Twenty-two people were killed in a cowardly terrorist attack at Manchester Arena. Martyn's Law will increase security in public venues so other families don’t have to experience such a loss.
We want to hear your views by 18 March on how we can make the UK safer👇
The Government’s launching of this new consultation to update and eventually help make ‘Martyn’s Law’ a reality comes after it was revealed that thousands of Mancs have now been equipped with counter terror skills after signing up for specialist Action Counters Terrorism (ACT) training.
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The Action Counters Terrorism (ACT) training – which is a partnership between Manchester City Council, CityCo, and Counter Terror Policing North West – aims to equip staff at a wide range of companies across the city centre with skills to “identify and mitigate potential risks” that will help increase response in the event of a terror attack.
Close to 500 venues and more than 1,000 members of staff have been trained as part of their commitment to playing their part in making Manchester safer, the Council confirmed.
You can have your say in the ‘Martyn’s Law’ consultation on the gov.uk website here.
Featured Image – gov.uk
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No trams to run on three major Greater Manchester lines this Easter bank holiday weekend
Emily Sergeant
People are being urged to ‘plan ahead’ as no trams are set to run on three major Greater Manchester Metrolink lines this weekend.
As part of a continuing £150 million investment in the Metrolink network across the region, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has announced that more than 1km of track will be replaced on the Altrincham line, and work will also take place between Trafford Bar and Deansgate-Castlefield to prepare for full track replacement later in the year.
As a result, there will be no trams on the Altrincham, Eccles, and Trafford Park lines this Easter bank holiday weekend all day from Friday 3 to Monday 6 April.
On top of these line closures, there is also set to be disruption across other parts of the network too, as on the East Didsbury and Manchester Airport lines, trams will run to Firswood only, and services on the Rochdale line will terminate at Exchange Square.
To keep people moving over the four-day weekend, replacement buses will run between all the affected stops, TfGM has confirmed.
Anyone using a replacement bus, however, will still need a valid Metrolink ticket or a one-day Bee bus ticket to travel, and customers will be able to use all existing options to buy these, as they will not be able to buy a ticket or pay for the fare on the replacement buses themselves.
No trams will be running on three major Greater Manchester lines this Easter bank holiday weekend / Credit: TfGM
Replacement buses are said to be calling at ‘all affected stops’ along the lines, so customers are being told not to worry about that.
Speaking ahead of the improvement works being carried out this weekend, Ian Davies, who is the Network Director for Metrolink at TfGM, said: “The first main upgrades of the year get under way over the Easter weekend, as our £150m programme to improve our network continues.
“We’ll be doing everything we can to minimise disruption to passengers while we carry out this essential work to ensure our tram network remains reliable, resilient and safe for years to come.”
TfGM has assured that staff will be out and on-hand across the network this weekend, but is urging anyone travelling to plan for their journeys ahead of time to make sure they go as smoothly as possible.
Looking ahead to the rest of the month, no trams will run between Piccadilly Gardens and Ashton-under-Lyne on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 April while the track is repaired, and a further weekend closure for track repairs on the Ashton line will take place on Saturday 25 April and Sunday 26 April.
Find out more and plan ahead on the Bee Network’s dedicated webpage here.
Featured Image – Janus Boye
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Three men arrested after ‘shocking’ Salford pub fight leaves victim in life-threatening condition
Emily Sergeant
Three men have been arrested as police continue to appeal following a ‘shocking’ incident in Salford over the weekend.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) explained that, at around 2:51am yesterday (Sunday 29 March), officers were called to reports of an assault at a pub on Liverpool Road in Irlam, where it’s understood that an incident involving several males took place.
Police quickly attended the scene, and one male was rushed to hospital.
The man sustained serious injuries and was taken to hospital for treatment, where he’s said to remain in a life-threatening condition.
While officers are working ‘at speed’ on their investigation to establish the full circumstances of this incident, a scene is currently in place, and road closures are affecting the immediate area.
At this time, it has been confirmed that three men – all in their 20s – have been arrested on suspicion of Section 18 assault, and they remain in custody for further questioning while GMP renews its public appeal for information.
“This is a shocking incident and our thoughts are firmly with the victim and his family during this extremely difficult time,” commented Detective Chief Inspector Helen Bagnall, from GMP’s Salford district. “We are working at pace and remain absolutely committed to identifying everyone involved and bringing those responsible to justice.
“Three arrests have been made in connection with this incident, and we are continuing to appeal for further information.
“Officers remain committed to understand the full circumstances and are urging anyone with information to come forward to support our investigation.”
Can you help? A dedicated online Major Incident Public Portal has been set up, and information, CCTV, dashcam, doorbell, and phone images and footage can be submitted here, or you can also contact police on 101, quoting log 256 of 29/03/26.
Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
Emily Sergeant -
7th February 2024 
