Before (end of 2002) (60 seats, Elections Centre)
Labour 31 · Conservative 16 · Liberal Democrats 13 · Other 0
After (end of 2003) (60 seats, Elections Centre)
Labour 27 · Conservative 19 · Liberal Democrats 14 · Other 0
Ward results
Astley Bridge1 seat
| Stuart Lever | Conservative | 2,285 ✓ |
| C White | Labour | 1,402 |
| Ian Greenalgh | Liberal Democrats | 882 |
Blackrod1 seat
| Martyn Cox | Liberal Democrats | 1,456 ✓ |
| Kevan Helsby | Labour | 1,362 |
| Michael Hollick | Conservative | 1,138 |
Bradshaw1 seat
| Walter Hall | Conservative | 2,600 ✓ |
| Eric Hyland | Labour | 1,302 |
| Stephen Frederick Howarth | Liberal Democrats | 944 |
Breightmet1 seat
| Donald Grime | Labour | 1,426 ✓ |
| Richard Elliott | Conservative | 1,370 |
| Edward Hill | Liberal Democrats | 666 |
Bromley Cross1 seat
| Annabel Wilkinson | Conservative | 3,065 ✓ |
| Anthony Muscat Terribile | Labour | 1,048 |
| Stewart Malcolm Ball | Liberal Democrats | 890 |
Burnden1 seat
| Mohammad Idrees | Conservative | 1,453 ✓ |
| Martin Samuel McMulkin | Labour | 1,421 |
| David Connor | Liberal Democrats | 686 |
| David Sumner | — | 119 |
Central1 seat
| Valibhai Patel | Liberal Democrats | 1,693 ✓ |
| John Noble | Labour | 1,191 |
| M Iqbal | Conservative | 319 |
| Lynne Lowe | SOC LAB | 198 |
| M McLoughlin | soc all | 0 |
Daubhill1 seat
| Tom FitzPatrick | Labour | 1,335 ✓ |
| Linden Greensitt | Liberal Democrats | 1,091 |
| John Heyes | Conservative | 779 |
Deane-cum-Heaton1 seat
| John Hanscomb | Conservative | 3,285 ✓ |
| John William Gillatt | Labour | 1,598 |
| Christine Joyce Macpherson | Liberal Democrats | 1,116 |
Derby1 seat
| Rosa Kay | Labour | 1,868 ✓ |
| Y Jiva | Conservative | 1,101 |
| Sara McGeehan | Liberal Democrats | 500 |
| N McAllister | soc all | 202 |
| D. Entwistle | SOC LAB | 84 |
Farnworth1 seat
| Raymond Stones | Labour | 1,627 ✓ |
| Stanley Jackson | Conservative | 556 |
| Stephen Rock | Liberal Democrats | 402 |
| William Kelly | SOC LAB | 167 |
Halliwell1 seat
| Charlotte Morris | Labour | 1,848 ✓ |
| James Hinegan | Conservative | 732 |
| Adele Warren | Liberal Democrats | 683 |
| John Greenwood | — | 151 |
| Howard Broadbent | SOC LAB | 61 |
Harper Green1 seat
| Glenn Anthony Dennis | Labour | 1,673 ✓ |
| Robert Edward Tyler | Conservative | 807 |
| Wendy Connor | Liberal Democrats | 699 |
| William Kelly | SOC LAB | 117 |
Horwich1 seat
| John Cronnolley | Liberal Democrats | 2,284 ✓ |
| Joyce Kellett | Labour | 1,170 |
| Olive Fairhurst | Conservative | 864 |
| Robert Ince | — | 91 |
Hulton Park1 seat
| Phillip Ashcroft | Conservative | 2,064 ✓ |
| Derek John Gradwell | Liberal Democrats | 1,756 |
| David Chadwick | Labour | 1,540 |
Kearsley1 seat
| John Rothwell | Liberal Democrats | 1,863 ✓ |
| Derek Burrows | Labour | 1,348 |
| Sheila Kesler | Conservative | 381 |
Little Lever1 seat
| Mary Woodward | Conservative | 1,658 ✓ |
| Robert Neil Evans | Labour | 1,554 ✓ |
| William Crook | Liberal Democrats | 669 |
| Alwynne Ann Cartmell | Green | 218 |
Smithills1 seat
| Joe Higson | Liberal Democrats | 2,398 ✓ |
| Douglas Bagnall | Conservative | 705 |
| Barbara Ramsden | Labour | 640 |
Tonge1 seat
| Elaine Sherrington | Labour | 1,510 ✓ |
| Nigel Ford | Conservative | 1,092 |
| Michael Langdon | Liberal Democrats | 438 |
Westhoughton1 seat
| David John Wilkinson | Liberal Democrats | 1,762 ✓ |
| James Kilcoyne | Labour | 805 |
| Jane Frappola | Conservative | 579 |