The Education Crisis Hiding in Plain Sight, and What We're Doing About It

The Education Crisis Hiding in Plain Sight

Bedford Borough Council is facing one of the most serious financial crises in its history, and it is our schools and children who are bearing the heaviest burden.

In 2025, council figures revealed a projected overspend of over £3 million in education alone, on top of deficits already carried from the year before. Demand for special educational needs support is rising faster than funding can follow, and the council's own leadership has admitted the money simply is not enough. That kind of honesty from within the system should alarm all of us.

A System Stretched to Breaking Point

This goes beyond education. Children's Services are projected to overspend by over £5 million, and the council's overall funding gap is heading towards £60 million by the end of the decade. Behind those numbers are teachers working beyond their limits, support staff roles disappearing and resources quietly cut without announcement.

This is not purely a local failure. Central government underfunding has played a significant role in getting us here. But it is local children who are paying the price.

And for smaller, rural schools the situation is even harder. Fewer pupils means smaller budgets, less flexibility and no cushion when things get tight. These schools are often the heart of their communities. When they struggle, everyone feels it.

Our Concern as Parents and as Part of This Community

As parents ourselves, this is personal, even though our own children don't attend a Bedford Borough school.

We've seen first-hand in our community, how stretched school staff are, how teachers reach into their own pockets, how headteachers quietly pass up pay rises to keep the budget afloat elsewhere, and how parents are asked again and again to contribute more just to fill gaps that simply should not exist.

And as part of this community, we couldn't sit back and watch without trying to do something. We're not politicians. We can't rewrite the funding formula or reverse years of government underfunding. But we do run a business and we asked ourselves a simple question: what if that business could do something that actually mattered to the people affected by this crisis?

That question is what led us to create Stay and Support.

Introducing our 'Stay and Support' initiative

Stay and Support is our commitment to putting local schools at the heart of what we do. Through our properties managed via Lita Stays, 5% of the profit from every direct booking is donated to a local school. For every booking arranged through us, 15% of the net commission goes to the same cause. No complicated schemes, no middlemen, just a straightforward decision to share what our business earns with the schools that need it most.

We recently partnered with Sheerhatch Primary School, a small, much-loved village school with a very particular challenge. Sheerhatch sits across two towns, which means it doesn't fit neatly into the council's funding structure. In an environment where school budgets are already under enormous pressure, that kind of administrative complexity can make a difficult situation significantly harder. It is exactly the kind of school where every bit of additional support makes a real difference.

But what drew us to Sheerhatch wasn't just the challenge it faces, it was the people fighting to overcome it. The headteacher is quite simply a remarkable human being. She leaves no stone unturned in her effort to source, fundraise and find whatever her school needs to keep the children thriving. That kind of dedication deserves to be met with real, practical support and we are proud to be part of that.

We are now looking to expand Stay and Support to more schools across our community. Because the more our business grows, the more we want that growth to mean something real for the children and families living around us.

What You Can Do

If you're a business sourcing contractor or corporate accommodation in Bedford:

Book your accommodation with us. Every booking made through Lita Stays means more money going straight to a local school. When you book through third-party platforms, a significant portion of your spend goes to commission fees and platform margins. When you book with us, that money stays closer to home, and a percentage goes straight back to the local community. Whether you're placing contractors, relocating a team, or managing accommodation for a large construction project in the Bedford area, that's a simple switch that makes a real difference.

If you're a fellow host operating in this community:

We would love to see other operators join us. List your property with us here and join a growing network of hosts committed to making a difference in Bedford.

Bedford is not just a market. For many of us, it is home. And the best businesses in any community are the ones that understand the difference.

If you're a school, parent group or local organisation:

If you are a parent, teacher, school leader, or local charity interested in partnering with us we want to hear from you. The Stay and Support initiative is just the beginning, and it only works if it grows.

"Because there is no better investment than the one we put in our children. They are, and always will be, our greatest asset and our future."