A petition totalling more than 1,000 signatures is set to be handed into Medway Council ahead of a decision on the future of the Duke of Edinburgh Award.

Set up by the award’s youth panel less than two weeks ago, it has been signed by people of all ages from across the Towns.

The online total sits at 606 signatures with hundreds more signing paper petitions at schools.

A plan, due to be discussed at the Cabinet meeting tomorrow, will see the council stop running the award in-house from April 2017.

Councillors have been given two options to consider for the future provision of the award.

The first, and recommended option, 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.

But the Medway DofE Youth Panel and volunteers who help run the award believe it should remain in-house.

Volunteer Steven Bird, 25, said: “The success of the council-run programme is something the council should be proud of and not looking at scrapping.”

Medway Labour Group is supporting the petition. Cllr Adam Price, spokesperson for children and young people, said: “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.”