The duty that Martyn's Law places on premises has a mirror image on the regulator's side, and the Security Industry Authority has now set out how it intends to spend the year before the law commences. Its business plan for 2026 to 2027 reads as an organisation building capacity against the same spring 2027 deadline that premises are working to.
The headline commitment is resourcing. The plan allocates 12.8 million pounds to Martyn's Law regulation in 2026 to 2027 and stands up a dedicated team of 69 full-time staff, with the stated aim of being ready to go live when the legislation is commenced in spring 2027. That is a substantial bet on a regime that is not yet in force, and it signals that the SIA expects to be regulating in earnest from day one rather than easing in.
On the industry side, the SIA is replacing the long-running Approved Contractor Scheme with a new Business Approval Scheme. The plan says the BAS digital application service will be designed and ready for pilots in spring 2027. Whether business licensing becomes mandatory is a separate question that remains subject to ministerial decision, and the SIA says it is working with the Home Office on the roadmap for the preferred business licensing options. For individual licence holders there is at least some stability: the licence fee is held at 204 pounds from 1 April 2026.
The read for firms in the sector is that the coming year is a preparation window on both sides of the fence. Premises are being asked to get ready to register, and the businesses that protect and staff them face a changing approval regime. Tracking how the Business Approval Scheme is designed, rather than waiting for the pilots, is the sensible posture for anyone whose commercial standing depends on it.
