# 2003 Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council election

Elections to Rochdale Council were held on 1 May 2003. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour Party lost overall control of the council to no overall control.
After the election, the composition of the council was:
* Labour: 30;
* Liberal Democrat: 22; and
* Conservative: 8.

## Election result

Rochdale Local Election Result 2003 :
| Party | Seats | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− |
| Labour | 10 | -1 | 50.0 | 37.8 | 15,167 | -7.0 |
| Liberal Democrats | 8 | +1 | 40.0 | 36.1 | 14,475 | +6.6 |
| Conservative | 2 | 0 | 10.0 | 25.6 | 10,248 | +2.9 |
| Liberal | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 | 163 | +0.2 |
| Christian Democratic Party | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 24 | +0.0 |

## Ward results

Balderstone :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Frank Greenwood | 806 | 49.7 | −3.7 |
| | Conservative | Michael Greenwood | 484 | 29.9 | −3.1 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Stuart Sawle | 331 | 20.4 | +6.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 322 | 19.8 | −0.6 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,621 | | |
Brimrod and Deeplish :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Paul Rowen | 1,505 | 70.3 | +18.4 |
| | Labour | Nicholas Maher | 481 | 22.5 | −17.6 |
| | Conservative | William Hobhouse | 154 | 7.2 | −0.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,024 | 47.8 | +36.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,140 | | |
Castleton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Patricia Flynn | 1,205 | 56.2 | +5.8 |
| | Labour | Jack Butterworth | 647 | 30.2 | −9.7 |
| | Conservative | Ronald Crossley | 292 | 13.6 | +3.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 558 | 26.0 | +15.5 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,144 | | |
Central and Falinge :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Mohammad Sharif | 1,509 | 60.6 | +33.3 |
| | Labour | Colin Thompson | 809 | 32.5 | −32.8 |
| | Conservative | Linda Butler | 174 | 7.0 | −0.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 700 | 28.1 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,492 | | |
Central Middleton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Angela Robinson | 729 | 61.0 | −9.6 |
| | Conservative | Craig Matthews | 266 | 22.2 | +22.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Irene Cooper | 201 | 16.8 | −6.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 463 | 38.8 | −8.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,196 | | |
East Middleton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Anne Murphy | 782 | 47.9 | −1.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Marie Welsby | 572 | 35.1 | −5.1 |
| | Conservative | Gary Matthews | 253 | 15.5 | +6.1 |
| | Christian Democratic Party | Christine West | 24 | 1.5 | +0.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 210 | 12.8 | +4.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,631 | | |
Healey :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Surinder Biant | 1,101 | 36.3 | +0.2 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Thomas Bailey | 1,053 | 34.8 | −2.6 |
| | Conservative | Andrew Neilson | 876 | 28.9 | +2.4 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 48 | 1.5 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,030 | | |
Littleborough :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Peter Evans | 899 | 43.7 | −5.5 |
| | Conservative | Peter Lord | 703 | 34.2 | +7.2 |
| | Labour | David Finlay | 455 | 22.1 | −1.7 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 196 | 9.5 | −12.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,057 | | |
Milnrow and Newhey :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Irene Davidson | 1,020 | 53.2 | +4.5 |
| | Labour | John Ingham | 467 | 24.3 | −2.5 |
| | Conservative | Allan Marshall | 432 | 22.5 | −2.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 553 | 28.9 | +7.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,919 | | |
Newbold :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Christine Akram | 864 | 50.0 | +28.2 |
| | Labour | David Felton | 599 | 34.7 | −31.1 |
| | Conservative | Michael Butler | 265 | 15.3 | +2.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 265 | 15.3 | −28.7 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,728 | | |
Norden and Bamford :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Jane Gartside | 1,876 | 67.5 | +13.6 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Ted Sullivan | 905 | 32.5 | +0.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 971 | 35.0 | +13.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,781 | | |
North Heywood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Brian Davies | 982 | 66.2 | +9.5 |
| | Conservative | Rachel McLachlan | 502 | 33.8 | +2.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 480 | 32.4 | +6.9 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,484 | | |
North Middleton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Ian Robertson | 736 | 53.2 | −7.7 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Shaun Haynes | 354 | 25.6 | −13.5 |
| | Conservative | Paul Spilling | 294 | 21.2 | +21.2 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 382 | 27.6 | +5.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,384 | | |
Smallbridge and Wardleworth :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Shah Wazir | 2,189 | 55.8 | +16.6 |
| | Labour | Abdul Chowdry | 1,732 | 44.2 | +8.5 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 457 | 11.6 | +8.1 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 3,921 | | |
South Heywood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Linda Robinson | 1,281 | 62.5 | −4.6 |
| | Conservative | Gerard Heatherington | 769 | 37.5 | +4.6 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 512 | 25.0 | −9.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,050 | | |
South Middleton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | Donna Martin | 1,386 | 52.8 | +0.4 |
| | Conservative | Mary Fitzsimons | 1,237 | 47.2 | +11.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 149 | 5.6 | −11.4 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 2,623 | | |
Spotland :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Liberal Democrats | Norman Smith | 1,535 | 83.4 | +22.8 |
| | Labour | Stefan Cholewka | 305 | 16.6 | −9.0 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 1,230 | 66.8 | +31.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,840 | | |
Wardle :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Conservative | Joyce Wright | 1,168 | 61.8 | −6.5 |
| | Labour | Mike Radanovic | 390 | 20.6 | +2.8 |
| | Liberal Democrats | Anthony Heaford | 333 | 17.6 | +3.8 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 778 | 41.2 | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,891 | | |
West Heywood :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Labour | Alan McCarthy | 775 | 70.1 |
| | Conservative | Neil Brockbank | 330 | 29.9 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 445 | 40.2 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,105 | |
West Middleton :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Labour | John Murtaza | 704 | 67.7 | −1.5 |
| | Conservative | Denise Matthews | 173 | 16.6 | +4.3 |
| | Liberal | Philip Burke | 163 | 15.7 | +9.1 |
| Majority | Majority | Majority | 531 | 51.1 | −5.8 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,040 | | |