The For Darwen Party is a small political party

Political party

A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...

 with three seats on Blackburn with Darwen

Blackburn with Darwen

Blackburn with Darwen is a unitary authority area in Lancashire, North West England. It consists of Blackburn, the small town of Darwen to the south of it, and the surrounding countryside.-Formation:...

 Council in England. The party fielded candidates in wards in the small town of Darwen

Darwen

Darwen is a market town and civil parish located within Lancashire, England. Along with its northerly neighbour, Blackburn, it forms the Borough of Blackburn with Darwen — a unitary authority area...

, which lies to the south of Blackburn, with a platform that the views of Darweners are not properly represented in the town hall.

Foundation

The party was co founded in 2007 by Tony Melia., Tony Melia, who had previously stood as a Liberal Democrat

Liberal Democrats

The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...

 candidate against Jack Straw

Jack Straw

Jack Straw , British politician.Jack Straw may also refer to:* Jack Straw , English* "Jack Straw" , 1971 song by the Grateful Dead* Jack Straw by W...

 in the 2005 general election

United Kingdom general election, 2005

The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....

 in Blackburn

Blackburn (UK Parliament constituency)

Blackburn is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The town currently elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election. It has elected Labour MPs since its re-creation in 1955.-Boundaries:The constituency...

. He said he quit the Liberal Democrats to form For Darwen as he was tired of what the Labour

Labour Party (UK)

The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...

-controlled council was doing, particularly with the Darwen Academy

Academy (England)

In the education system of England, an academy is a school that is directly funded by central government and independent of control by local government in England. An academy may receive additional support from personal or corporate sponsors, either financially or in kind...

, leisure centre, and regeneration

Housing Market Renewal Initiative

The Housing Market Renewal Initiative is a package of policies in the North of England aimed to address housing market failure, which was defined as housing which in local markets was priced below the build cost, such that renovations were uneconomic and the sale of property would not generate...

.
Michael Johnson had originally been elected as a Councillor for the far-right, England First Party.

2008 Local Elections

Councillor Johnson was sacked from For Darwen in March 2008 over "policy differences with party members",he stayed a a member of the coalition, this reduced the number of seats the For Darwen Party held in the coalition.

Despite this setback in the run-up to the elections, For Darwen gained a further three seats in the May 2008 Local Elections, two of them coming in the same wards (Earcroft, Sunnyhurst) as the 2007 elections. The third was in Marsh House ward.

2010 Local Elections

For Darwen stood six candidates in the local election in this year but failed to get any elected.

2010 General Election

Cllr Tony Melia stood in the Rossendale and Darwen constituency on behalf of the Impact party (anti-immigration issues), gaining 243 votes (0.5% of votes cast). He remained leader of the For Darwen party throughout.

2011 Local Elections

The party split up the Liberal Democrat

Liberal Democrats

The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...

/Conservative

Conservative Party (UK)

The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...

ruling coalition when two of their councillors moved over to different political parties . Trevor Maxfield moved over to the Labour Party and is standing in Earcroft as a prospective Labour candidate.

Councillors

BLACKBURN WITH DARWEN COUNCIL.
Earcroft, Anthony Meleady, up for re-election in 2012.
Marsh House, Phil Jones, up for re-election in 2012.
Sunnyhurst, Andrew Graham, up for re-election in 2012.

DARWEN TOWN COUNCIL.

For Darwen also have five (5) of the thirteen (13) councillors on the town Council.