Young people taking the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme in Bradford are facing a major setback.

The threat of closure now hangs over the scheme's only resource centre in the city unless it gets cash from Bradford Council.

Treasurer Barry Parker says the centre, in Undercliffe Road, may have to shut because it has failed to win a community grant this year to pay its basic running costs.

"It is a serious situation," he said. "You can't run the centre without funding and the funding isn't available.

"Each year we have been given about £9,000 to pay for basic costs like electricity, rates, insurance and gas. This year the Council has given us nothing."

Last year, 455 enrolled throughout the district at one of the three award levels - silver, bronze and gold.

The resource centre - built as a result of a Bradford Lord Mayor's appeal 25 years ago - is used about 2,000 times a year by those not taking the award at a school.

Mr Parker said: "If the centre closes it means the scheme can't run properly and those people will have great difficulty in finishing their award.

"Over the last few years the grants have been getting less and less but we have managed to make up the shortfall - but we haven't got £9,000 in total in reserve."

He said if cash was diverted from the fund which pays for the Award Scheme itself, there would be less for equipment for the participants.

Councillor Ralph Berry, chairman of the community development committee - which allocates the grants - said he would investigate the closure claim.

He said: "I wasn't aware of the details of their finances for the building and clearly I wouldn't want to see closure happen. I would want the matter to be looked into and I will ask officers to meet with them and give help and advice to look at other ways of securing funding."

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