Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council election, 2003
      
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
Election result
| Rochdale Local Election Result 2003 | 
| Party | Seats | Gains | Losses | Net gain/loss | Seats % | Votes % | Votes | +/− | 
|  | Labour | 10 |  |  | -1 | 50.0 | 37.8 | 15,167 | -7.0 | 
|  | Liberal Democrat | 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
| Central Middleton | 
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | 
|  | Labour | Angela Robinson | 729 | 61.0 | -9.6 | 
|  | Conservative | Craig Matthews | 266 | 22.2 | +22.2 | 
|  | Liberal Democrat | Irene Cooper | 201 | 16.8 | -6.9 | 
| Majority | 463 | 38.8 | -8.1 | 
| Turnout | 1,196 |  |  | 
| East Middleton | 
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | 
|  | Labour | Anne Murphy | 782 | 47.9 | -1.0 | 
|  | Liberal Democrat | 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 | 210 | 12.8 | +4.1 | 
| Turnout | 1,631 |  |  | 
| Milnrow and Newhey | 
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | 
|  | Liberal Democrat | 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 | 553 | 28.9 | +7.0 | 
| Turnout | 1,919 |  |  | 
| North Heywood | 
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | 
|  | Labour | Brian Davies | 982 | 66.2 | +9.5 | 
|  | Conservative | Rachel McLachlan | 502 | 33.8 | +2.6 | 
| Majority | 480 | 32.4 | +6.9 | 
| Turnout | 1,484 |  |  | 
| Smallbridge and Wardleworth | 
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | 
|  | Liberal Democrat | Shah Wazir | 2,189 | 55.8 | +16.6 | 
|  | Labour | Abdul Chowdry | 1,732 | 44.2 | +8.5 | 
| Majority | 457 | 11.6 | +8.1 | 
| Turnout | 3,921 |  |  | 
| South Heywood | 
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | 
|  | Labour | Linda Robinson | 1,281 | 62.5 | -4.6 | 
|  | Conservative | Gerard Heatherington | 769 | 37.5 | +4.6 | 
| Majority | 512 | 25.0 | -9.2 | 
| Turnout | 2,050 |  |  | 
| South Middleton | 
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | 
|  | Labour | Donna Martin | 1,386 | 52.8 | +0.4 | 
|  | Conservative | Mary Fitzsimons | 1,237 | 47.2 | +11.8 | 
| Majority | 149 | 5.6 | -11.4 | 
| Turnout | 2,623 |  |  | 
| Spotland | 
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | 
|  | Liberal Democrat | Norman Smith | 1,535 | 83.4 | +22.8 | 
|  | Labour | Stefan Cholewka | 305 | 16.6 | -9.0 | 
| Majority | 1,230 | 66.8 | +31.8 | 
| Turnout | 1,840 |  |  | 
| West Heywood | 
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | 
|  | Labour | Alan McCarthy | 775 | 70.1 |  | 
|  | Conservative | Neil Brockbank | 330 | 29.9 |  | 
| Majority | 445 | 40.2 |  | 
| Turnout | 1,105 |  |  | 
| West Middleton | 
| 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 | 531 | 51.1 | -5.8 | 
| Turnout | 1,040 |  |  | 
External links