Medway Council will stop running the Duke of Edinburgh Award in April according to a plan due before cabinet next Tuesday.

Councillors have been given two options to consider for the future provision of the award, neither of which include keeping it in-house.

The first is for the DofE South East regional office to take over and the second, is for the council to pay for the schools’ to run the scheme by themselves for one year.

According to the meeting agenda papers, an in-house model “would not deliver the savings” of the other options and “would not be sustainable in the long term”.

More than 500 people, including Cllr Mike O’Brien’s grandchildren, have signed a petition calling on Medway Council to continue running the Duke of Edinburgh Award, and another 350 have signed paper petitions at their schools.

Before he died earlier this year, the former head of children services said he was not prepared to see the award disappear.

The petition was started last Thursday by the Medway Duke of Edinburgh Award’s Youth Panel, which was set up to give young people taking part in the award a say in how it is run.

It has been signed by young people, parents, teachers, volunteers and youth group leaders, from all over Medway.

Volunteer and gold award holder, Steven Bird, 25, said: “The proposal is all well and good but what will happen after two years? And what about the young people who do not take part through their schools, but join us from youth centres or other groups? There are still many unanswered questions.

"The success of Medway DofE is something the council should be proud of and not looking at scrapping" - Steven Bird, volunteer

“South East plan to get an outside provider to run the gold expeditions, yet we already have a system which supports the young people all the way through from bronze to gold and it works, exceptionally well.

“Medway DofE has a completion rate of 60%, way above the national target of 50% and the regional office’s rate of 48%. We now have to have two award ceremonies each year for the 600 plus young people who complete the award with us.

“The success of the council-run programme is something the council should be proud of and not looking at scrapping.”

The campaign is being supported by Medway Labour group. Cllr Adam Price, spokesperson for children and young people, said that the proposal was unfair and would be a real blow to the community.

He said: “The impact of such a drastic cut is enormous on an organisation like the Duke of Edinburgh Award – it impacts upon staff, on volunteers and, most significantly, on the children in Medway.

"If this proposal is agreed at Cabinet on Tuesday we will see children from disadvantaged backgrounds now unable to receive the support that they currently receive, increased costs for children and their families, schools unable to afford to enrol students in programmes run by the organisation and, most significantly, a dramatic reduction in the difference that the Award is able to make to the community.

“Medway Labour Group places on record it’s recognition for the amazing work that the Duke of Edinburgh Award does in Medway and I want to thank them unreservedly. We value the difference that they make to the community and we will do all we can to support them from this unfair cut.”

The DofE South East region’s plan to support schools to become licence holders gives the council a “zero financial burden” after two years, after paying out £93,730 over two years.

If the council chose to pay for the schools’ licences for one year, it will cost them just £18,540 but schools would need to find their own DofE managers and administration staff, which are requirements of being a licence holder.

Both options will involve making council staff redundant.

The recommended decision is for the South East office to run the award as this provides longer term savings, reduces the risk of a drop in performance, and is the most sustainable.

This proposal will also see the regional team take over the offices at the Strand to create a “centre of excellence” but this would be rented from the council for free for two years.

According to the South East’s proposal, they will support Medway DofE centres on their bronze and silver expeditions and get an outside provider to run the Gold expeditions.