EFIG Leader talks to BBC Essex and calls out Air Ambulance charges
Councillor Tom Bromwich, leader of the Epping Forest Independent Group (EFIG), appeared on BBC Essex this week to speak out against the Council’s decision to charge nearly a quarter of a million pounds per year to the Essex & Herts Air Ambulance and the National Police Air Service for using North Weald Airfield.
This interview followed the publication of figures obtained through a Freedom of Information request and reported by Everything Epping Forest, showing that since 2021, the Air Ambulance and Police services have paid almost £1 million to Epping Forest District Council in ground rent and landing fees. At a time when the Essex & Herts Air Ambulance is already fundraising to cover its £12 million annual operational costs, many are asking how this can possibly be justified.
The air ambulance treats around 1,200 critically ill or injured patients each year, with helicopters dispatched on average seven times a day across Essex, Hertfordshire, and the surrounding areas. The National Police Air Service serves almost 2 million people across Essex alone.
In the interview, Cllr Bromwich made it clear: “these are not luxuries - they are lifelines. Charging a charity to save lives is wrong,” he said. “This is a public service, not a piggy bank.” He called on the Council to show moral leadership and to support services that are there to protect the people of Epping Forest.
The historical and community value of North Weald Airfield also came into sharp focus. It’s not just a strip of tarmac - it’s a site of national significance, where pilots defended the skies during the Battle of Britain and helped turn the tide of the Second World War. Today, it should be serving the public once again by supporting emergency services, not being turned into a revenue generator.
Other parts of the country have found better ways forward. Luton Airport agreed in 2018 to waive all landing charges and even supply free fuel to the air ambulance. Norwich Airfield donated free landing access to East Anglian Air Ambulance in 2022, saving the charity more than £75,000 a year. Leeds Bradford offers discounted fees. The Royal London Hospital provides its helipad free of charge. Epping Forest should not be the outlier.
And yet here, the Council charges £243,000 a year - £95,000 to the Air Ambulance and £148,000 to the Police. Since 2021, that adds up to nearly £1 million taken from services whose sole mission is to save lives.
The Council defends this by claiming that waiving fees would mean local taxpayers are subsidising emergency services for the wider region. But that argument doesn’t hold up. Lives don’t stop at district borders. We don’t refuse to fund hospitals, roads, or railways because someone from another county might use them. The benefits of faster emergency response, reduced NHS pressure, and saved lives far outweigh the small cost of forgoing these fees. As a councillor for North Weald Bassett and as a member of the Epping Forest Independent Group, Cllr Bromwich said it’s time for the Council to strike a respectful balance - one that honours both public purpose and long-term economic goals.
This interview, and the public reaction to it, shows exactly why the Epping Forest Independent Group was created. Residents want leadership rooted in values, not cold calculation. They want councillors who will challenge decisions and speak up, even when it’s unpopular to do so.
EFIG is here for that - and we’ll keep fighting for it.