The party was cofounded in March 2007 by businessman Tony Melia, and Michael Johnson who was the elected councillor for Lower Darwen and Fernhurst Tony Melia had previously stood as a
Liberal Democrat candidate against
Jack Straw in the
2005 general election in
Blackburn. He said he quit the Liberal Democrats to form For Darwen as he was tired of what the
Labour-controlled council was doing, particularly with the Darwen
Academy, leisure centre, and
regeneration. Melia was joined by Michael Johnson, who had been elected in May 2006 as a councillor for the far-right
England First Party but publicly left the party at the full council meeting after disagreeing with a racist Christmas card on the party website. After the
2007 local elections, For Darwen had three councillors and formed a ruling coalition with the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats. Melia was re-elected and Trevor Maxfield, a former
BNP organiser, was also elected. Cllr Johnson left For Darwen in March 2008 over "Back stabbing and lies made by some party members stating he had been banned from pubs in Darwen and other matters which could not be substantiated and were proven to be completely untrue. This and other policy differences with certain unelected party members was his reason for leaving"; he stayed a member of the coalition, but this reduced the number of seats For Darwen held in the coalition. In June 2008, Melia was criticised for going on a council-funded
twin town trip to
Altena, Germany, despite a campaign pledge, "There will be no more trips abroad for councillors paid for by us, the council taxpayers". Liberal Democrat Paul Browne, also a Borough Councillor, became Town Mayor in July and For Darwen councillor Phil Jones became deputy leader. The party stayed in coalition with the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives after the May 2010 borough council elections, with five councillors, arguing successfully for the town council not to be charged for use of
Darwen Town Hall. Cllr Trevor Maxfield became executive member for leisure and culture in June. However, in opposition to coalition budget cuts, Cllrs Maxfield and Anthony Meleady became independents in August, returning Labour to a majority - Labour won a motion of no confidence in September and regained control of the council.{{cite news|url=http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/8390789.display/|title=Labour back in control of Blackburn with Darwen Melia lost his seat on the borough council in May 2011. He relinquished the leadership of the party and stood down as a Town Councillor in March 2012 and was replaced by Cllr Stephen Potter. All For Darwen Town and Borough Councillors either stood down in 2012 or, after significant gains by the Labour Party, lost their seats. After the party lost its last councillors in 2012, the leader Stephen Potter announced the end of For Darwen in June 2014. Potter joined
UKIP and aimed for the remaining For Darwen members to form a Darwen branch of UKIP, which founder Melia said was not his choice. ==Electoral history==