Complete Music Update (01/11/22) Cooke, Chris

U.K. Home Secretary Priti Patel verified her intent to propose legislation requiring venues and events to deploy security measures to protect the public from terrorist attacks, following a consultation on proposals made in the wake of the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing. Security and Borders Minister Damian Hinds stated that responses to the Protect Duty consultation "have provided a detailed evidence base of the opinions of the public and those organizations which operate at public places, as to what a legislative requirement could achieve and how it could best be taken forward." He also acknowledged "that clarity was needed on what kinds of venues and events would be covered by the new requirements and what the new requirements would specifically involve, plus consideration was required as to whether affected venues and events were in a position to comply with any new duty." The responses focused on the challenge of which organizations should be in the legislation's scope, and what would be proportionate security measures, like ensuring that smaller-sized organizations or those staffed by volunteers are not excessively burdened. Michael Kill with the Night Time Industries Association stated that smaller businesses will need support when the legislation goes into effect, and that support should be incorporated from the outset. "While we focus on public safety there are some concerns from the sector, particularly smaller independent businesses, on the cost of implementing measures, proportionality against risk, but also wider industry concerns, in particular the lack of licensed security personnel, which will be a fundamental requirement as we move into the busier periods of 2022," he concluded.

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