Before (end of 2001) (60 seats, Elections Centre)
Labour 34 · Conservative 15 · Liberal Democrats 11 · Other 0
After (end of 2002) (60 seats, Elections Centre)
Labour 31 · Conservative 16 · Liberal Democrats 13 · Other 0
Ward results
Astley Bridge1 seat
| John Patrick Walsh | Conservative | 2,103 ✓ |
| Stuart Murray | Labour | 1,358 |
| Christine Joyce Macpherson | Liberal Democrats | 452 |
Blackrod1 seat
| Isabel Seddon | Labour | 1,255 ✓ |
| Michael Hollick | Conservative | 1,193 |
| Ian Hamilton | Liberal Democrats | 842 |
| English Metropolitan | — | 0 |
Bradshaw1 seat
| Paul Brierley | Conservative | 2,117 ✓ |
| Sarah Catherine Ward | Labour | 1,110 |
| Stephen Frederick Howarth | Liberal Democrats | 587 |
Breightmet1 seat
| Madeline Murray | Labour | 1,329 ✓ |
| Richard Elliott | Conservative | 1,173 |
| Stephen Rock | Liberal Democrats | 353 |
Bromley Cross1 seat
| Daniel James Carr | Conservative | 2,393 ✓ |
| Anthony Muscat Terribile | Labour | 1,050 |
| Stewart Malcolm Ball | Liberal Democrats | 563 |
Burnden2 seats
| Prentice Howarth | Labour | 1,280 ✓ |
| Paula Spencer | Labour | 1,159 ✓ |
| Mohammad Idrees | Conservative | 1,154 |
| I Iqbal | Conservative | 1,105 |
| David Connor | Liberal Democrats | 443 |
| Rosalind Harasiwka | Liberal Democrats | 340 |
| Dorothy Entwistle | SOC LAB | 133 |
| Sumner D | — | 115 |
Central1 seat
| Hanif Alli | Labour | 1,270 ✓ |
| Simjee H | Conservative | 615 |
| Vali Patel | Independent | 459 |
| Mary Eidlow | Liberal Democrats | 278 |
| McLoughlin M | — | 144 |
| L. Lowe | SL | 108 |
Daubhill1 seat
| Guy Harkin | Labour | 1,404 ✓ |
| Groark J | Conservative | 690 |
| Linden Greensitt | Liberal Democrats | 428 |
Deane-cum-Heaton1 seat
| Carol Ann Shaw | Conservative | 2,607 ✓ |
| John William Gillatt | Labour | 1,199 |
| Shelley Bromley | Liberal Democrats | 902 |
Derby1 seat
| E. Adia | Labour | 2,553 |
| G Peel | Conservative | 384 |
| Sara McGeehan | Liberal Democrats | 228 |
| A. Entwistle | SL | 162 |
Farnworth1 seat
| Joseph Thomas Lord | Labour | 1,141 ✓ |
| R O'Neill | Conservative | 344 |
| Andy Higson | Liberal Democrats | 317 |
| William Kelly | SOC LAB | 133 |
Halliwell1 seat
| Akhtar Zaman | Labour | 1,676 ✓ |
| Jolyon Horton Coombs | Conservative | 724 |
| Martyn Cox | Liberal Democrats | 511 |
| Howard Broadbent | SOC LAB | 169 |
| Alwynne Ann Cartmell | Green | 96 |
Harper Green1 seat
| Lynda Williamson | Labour | 1,295 ✓ |
| Robert Edward Tyler | Conservative | 506 |
| Wendy Connor | Liberal Democrats | 338 |
| William Kelly | SOC LAB | 123 |
Horwich1 seat
| Robert Ronson | Liberal Democrats | 2,283 ✓ |
| Kilcoyne M | Labour | 1,082 |
| D. Fairhurst | Conservative | 687 |
| Ince R | — | 85 |
Hulton Park1 seat
| Andrew Morgan | Conservative | 1,540 ✓ |
| John Cronnolley | Liberal Democrats | 1,451 |
| Eric Hyland | Labour | 1,236 |
Kearsley1 seat
| William Collison | Liberal Democrats | 1,357 ✓ |
| Derek Burrows | Labour | 1,182 |
| Sheila Kesler | Conservative | 263 |
Little Lever1 seat
| Adam Peter Alexander Connell | Labour | 1,550 ✓ |
| James Alfred Arthur Tyler | Conservative | 1,153 |
| W. Crook | Liberal Democrats | 351 |
| Kemp D | — | 81 |
Smithills1 seat
| Roger Geoffrey Cliffe Hayes | Liberal Democrats | 1,836 ✓ |
| Douglas Bagnall | Conservative | 605 |
| Steve Hynes | Labour | 572 |
| Calvert F | Green | 101 |
Tonge1 seat
| Florence Sanders White | Labour | 1,345 ✓ |
| Nigel Ford | Conservative | 879 |
| Michael George Langdon | Liberal Democrats | 342 |
Westhoughton1 seat
| Julia Silvester | Liberal Democrats | 1,324 ✓ |
| David Chadwick | Labour | 988 |
| John Batley | Conservative | 345 |