Counter Terrorism Policing is strengthening its partnership with local government partners to enhance the protection of public spaces from evolving terror threats through a new initiative: ACT for Local Authorities.
ACT for Local Authorities directly addresses the terrorism threat posed to publicly accessible spaces, which continue to be targeted by ‘self-initiated’ terrorists employing low-sophistication methods against members of the public.
Public spaces are, by their nature, challenging to secure: they are open, highly accessible, and rely on consensus from multiple stakeholders. Local authorities, who either own, manage, or can influence the activities within many of these spaces, are uniquely positioned to integrate counter terrorism security considerations into the design, planning, and day-to-day management of public spaces.
ACT for Local Authorities, developed by the National Counter Terrorism Security Office (NaCTSO) offers dedicated support to help councils to embed protective security and preparedness measures across their existing workstreams.
Launched in September 2025, ACT for Local Authorities is informed by academic research and insights from a pilot programme delivered in the North East Counter Terrorism Policing region. The initiative prioritises five key areas of local authority business with the greatest potential to influence protective security and preparedness: community safety, emergency planning, licensing, transport and highways, and planning and development.
The ambition of ACT for Local Authorities is to strengthen engagement and collaboration between Counter Terrorism Policing and local government. This is at both operational and strategic levels, specifically within the Protect and Prepare strands of the UK’s counter terrorism strategy, CONTEST.
Local authorities already have statutory responsibilities relating to the Prevent strand, and many may already proactively engage with Protect and Prepare matters. ACT for Local Authorities aims to standardise engagement on Protect and Prepare to ensure that every local authority across England, Scotland, and Wales – city, county, district, London borough, and unitary – has access to specialist counter terrorism expertise from Counter Terrorism Policing.
Under the initiative, Counter Terrorism Policing will direct subject matter experts – specifically Counter Terrorism Security Advisors and Counter Terrorism Protect Officers – to engage, collaborate with, and advise staff in these priority local authority departments. In doing so, the initiative significantly expands the reach and impact of policing advice, guidance, and resources across the local government landscape.
Local authorities participating in the initiative now have access to a comprehensive suite of materials, including written guidance, practical toolkits, a maturity self-assessment tool, a series of explainer videos, promotional materials, and longer-term access to specialist counter terrorism advice from local policing colleagues. Councils will also benefit from engagement events, awareness activities, and training to support the long-term embedding of protective security and preparedness.
ACT for Local Authorities sits alongside, but is distinct from, the Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, known as Martyn’s Law, and the two will complement each other to ensure the most effective reach of counter terrorism protective security and preparedness.
Where Martyn’s Law addresses the terrorism risks to venues and ticketed events, ACT for Local Authorities is focused on addressing the terrorism risks beyond these bounded sites; that is, the risks posed to public spaces and other venues.
Since its launch, the initiative has been introduced through a series of national and regional engagement events which have brought Counter Terrorism Policing specialists together with those with specialist knowledge of their public spaces: the local authority officers, managers, directors, and elected officials. Through continued and coordinated action, ACT for Local Authorities continues to build shared understanding and capability to address the terrorism risks facing our public spaces.
Catherine Simpson (née Ling), NaCTSO’s Head of Policy and Guidance, says: “I am extremely proud of my team for delivering this product with our partners, as we continue with our mission to protect the UK from terrorism by providing accessible expert advice and guidance to government, policing, industry and the public on all aspects of counter terrorism preparedness and protective security.
“We champion a collaborative approach to strengthen our security eco-system and I urge you to head over to www.protectuk.police.uk ProtectUK | Home for up-to-date threat information, Martyn’s Law updates, E-learning and guidance as well as interactive exercises.”
Dr Amy Batley
Venues and Public Spaces Unit
