Before (end of 1975) (57 seats, Elections Centre)
Labour 30 · Conservative 15 · The Liberal Party 11 · Other 1
After (end of 1976) (57 seats, Elections Centre)
Conservative 28 · Labour 20 · The Liberal Party 8 · Other 1
Ward results
Chadderton Central2 seats
| Buckworth M. | Conservative | 1,165 |
| E. Bennett | Conservative | 1,141 |
| F. Yates | Labour | 848 |
| F. Hall | Labour | 805 |
| T. Baines | LIB | 305 |
| K. Stocks | LIB | 252 |
Failsworth West1 seat
| B. Ames | Labour | 1,329 |
| Rowlands K. | Conservative | 1,272 |
| P. Widdall | COMM | 90 |
No. 16 (Failsworth East & South)1 seat · turnout 37.7%
| J. Mitchell | Conservative | 2,112 |
| A. Fahey | Labour | 1,253 |
No. 5 (St. James)1 seat · turnout 28.9%
| N. Bennett | Labour | 932 ✓ |
| M. Doyle | Conservative | 824 |
| C. Hilyer | LIB | 650 |
| J. Round | COMM | 56 |
No. 7 (Coldhurst & Westwood)1 seat · turnout 37.7%
| C. McCall | Labour | 1,258 |
| I. McInnes | LIB | 1,034 |
| J. Dransfield | Conservative | 637 |
No. 8 (Hartford & Werneth)1 seat · turnout 41.9%
| E. Boon | Conservative | 1,785 |
| B. Fletcher | Labour | 1,458 |
| K. Pendlebury | LIB | 763 |
Saddleworth East1 seat
| B. Colson | Conservative | 2,092 |
| A. Goodwin | LIB | 1,930 |
| J. Watts | Labour | 640 |
Saddleworth West1 seat
| R. Johnson | Conservative | 1,849 |
| P. Bagley | LIB | 1,270 |
| P. Dean | Labour | 645 |