# 2008 Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council election

Elections to Rochdale Council in Greater Manchester, England were held on 1 May 2008. One third of the council was up for election. The Liberal Democrats stayed in control of the council after gaining seats in Balderstone and Kirkholt, and North Heywood from the Labour party but losing East Middleton back to Labour.
After the election, the composition of the council was:
* Liberal Democrat 33
* Labour 19
* Conservative 8

## Election result

Rochdale Local Election Result 2007 :
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Liberal Democrats | 11 | 2 | 1 | +1 | 50.0 | 36.1 | 18,572 | -2.4 |
| Labour | 5 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 40.0 | 31.3 | 16,109 | -4.4 |
| Conservative | 4 | 0 | 0 | +0 | 10.0 | 30.5 | 15,701 | +5.2 |
| BNP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.8 | 421 | +0.8 |
| Independent | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 | 637 | +0.7 |

## Ward Results
### Balderstone and Kirkholt ward

Balderstone and Kirkholt ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Pat Colclough | 821 | 36.7% | −8.7 |
| | Labour | Darren Pedley | 760 | 33.9% | −6.2 |
| | Conservative | Ian Duckworth | 658 | 29.4% | +14.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 61 | 2.7 | −2.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,239 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Swing | | |

### Bamford ward

Bamford ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Jane Gartside | 1,766 | 56.2 | +11.3 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Mohammed Shafiq | 988 | 31.4 | −13.8 |
| | Labour | Ben "Timmy Howard" Robertson | 388 | 12.3 | +2.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 778 | 24.8 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,142 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Castleton ward

Castleton ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Pat Flynn | 1,386 | 55.7 | +2.2 |
| | Labour | Jean Hornby | 637 | 25.6 | +3.5 |
| | Conservative | Ronnie Crossley | 467 | 18.8 | −4.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 749 | 30.0 | −1.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,490 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |

### Central Rochdale ward

Central Rochdale ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Zulfiqar Ali | 1,869 | 51.9 | +11.9 |
| | Labour | Daalat Ali | 1,422 | 39.5 | −11.6 |
| | Conservative | Roger Howarth | 309 | 8.6 | −0.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 447 | 12.4 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,600 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |

### East Middleton ward

East Middleton ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Malcolm Boriss | 1,030 | 48.0 | +1.1 |
| | Conservative | John Cardus | 625 | 29.1 | +10.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Irene Cooper | 492 | 22.9 | −11.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 405 | 18.9 | +6.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,147 | | |
| | Labour gain from Liberal Democrats | Labour gain from Liberal Democrats | Swing | | |

### Healey ward

Healey ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Tom Bailey | 1,214 | 45.7% | −4.4 |
| | Conservative | Andrew Neilson | 920 | 34.6% | +5.1 |
| | Labour | Phillip Bethell | 525 | 19.7% | −0.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 294 | 11.1% | −9.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,659 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |

### Hopwood Hall ward

Hopwood Hall ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Linda Robinson | 1,325 | 53.7 | −7.7 |
| | Conservative | Keith Taylor | 761 | 30.8 | +2.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Harry Boota | 382 | 15.5 | +5.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 564 | 22.8 | −10.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,468 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Kingsway ward

Kingsway ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | David Clayton | 1,245 | 46.5% | +1.8 |
| | Labour | Tom Stott | 1,116 | 41.7% | +0.7 |
| | Conservative | Phil Grantham | 314 | 11.7% | −2.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 129 | 4.8 | +1.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,675 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |

### Littleborough Lakeside ward

Littleborough Lakeside ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Peter Evans | 1,086 | 44.8 | +3.4 |
| | Conservative | Andrew Jones | 1001 | 41.3 | +2.8 |
| | Labour | John Hartley | 335 | 13.8 | −6.3 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 85 | 3.5 | +0.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,422 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |

### Milkstone and Deeplish ward

Milkstone and Deeplish ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Mohammed Sharif | 1,872 | 53.7 | +7.3 |
| | Labour | Ghulam Shahzad | 796 | 22.9 | −25.6 |
| | Independent | Javed Iqbal | 637 | 18.3 | +18.3 |
| | Conservative | Sue Pawson | 178 | 5.1 | +0.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,076 | 30.8 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,483 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |

### Milnrow and Newhey ward

Milnrow and Newhey ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Irene Davidson | 1,193 | 48.2 | −9.4 |
| | Conservative | Michael Butler | 663 | 26.8 | −0.7 |
| | Labour | Debbie Abrahams | 620 | 25.0 | +10.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 530 | 21.4 | −8.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,476 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |

### Norden ward

Norden ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | James Gartside | 1,450 | 48.0 | +1.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Hilary Rodgers | 874 | 28.9 | −14.1 |
| | BNP | Peter Greenwood | 421 | 13.9 | +13.9 |
| | Labour | Anthony Bennett | 278 | 9.2 | −1.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 576 | 19.0 | +15.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,023 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### North Heywood ward

North Heywood ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Malcolm Bruce | 936 | 44.8 | +1.3 |
| | Labour | Susan Coates | 799 | 38.3 | −2.4 |
| | Conservative | Darren Bayman | 353 | 16.9 | +1.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 137 | 6.6 | +3.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,088 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Liberal Democrats gain from Labour | Swing | | |

### North Middleton ward

North Middleton ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Maureen Rowbotham | 746 | 42.3 | −9.1 |
| | Conservative | David Harris | 537 | 30.4 | −0.4 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Rhoda Morley | 481 | 27.3 | +9.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 209 | 11.8 | −8.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,764 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### Smallbridge and Firgrove ward

Smallbridge and Firgrove ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Jean Ashworth | 1,053 | 45.7 | +1.8 |
| | Labour | Amna Mir | 841 | 36.5 | −1.6 |
| | Conservative | Len Branton | 412 | 17.9 | −0.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 212 | 9.2 | +3.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,306 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |

### South Middleton ward

South Middleton ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Teresa Fitzsimons | 1,713 | 58.4 | +15.4 |
| | Labour | John Orford | 993 | 33.8 | −11.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Neil Lever | 228 | 7.8 | −4.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 720 | 24.6 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,934 | | |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### Spotland and Falinge ward

Spotland and Falinge ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Barbara Todd | 1,304 | 44.9 | −10.1 |
| | Labour | Surinder Biant | 1,151 | 39.6 | +6.6 |
| | Conservative | Steven Scholes | 452 | 15.5 | +3.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 153 | 5.3 | −16.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,907 | | |
| | Liberal Democrats hold | Liberal Democrats hold | Swing | | |

### Wardle and West Littleborough ward

Wardle and West Littleborough ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Ashley Dearnley | 2,157 | 80.4 | +12.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Andy Kelly | 264 | 9.8 | −9.4 |
| | Labour | Mike Radanovic | 263 | 9.8 | −3.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,893 | 70.5 | +21.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,684 | 30.1% | 8.8% |
| | Conservative hold | Conservative hold | Swing | | |

### West Heywood ward

West Heywood ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Colin Lambert | 1,087 | 53.3 | −2.7 |
| | Conservative | John Kershaw | 541 | 26.5 | +4.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | George Kinder | 410 | 20.1 | −1.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 546 | 26.8 | −6.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,038 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |

### West Middleton ward

West Middleton ward :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Lil Murphy | 997 | 52.6 | +0.9 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Terry Smith | 474 | 25.0 | −8.4 |
| | Conservative | Dave Pawson | 424 | 22.4 | +7.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 523 | 27.6 | +9.3 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,895 | | |
| | Labour hold | Labour hold | Swing | | |