Before (end of 2002) (52 seats, Elections Centre)
Conservative 27 · Labour 18 · Liberal Democrats 5 · Other 2
After (end of 2003) (52 seats, Elections Centre)
Conservative 24 · Labour 22 · Liberal Democrats 5 · Other 1
Ward results
Belah1 seat
| Alan Toole | Conservative | 948 ✓ |
| Mohammed Abdul Harid | Labour | 650 |
Belle Vue1 seat
| Mary Styth | Labour | 570 ✓ |
| Neville John Lishman | Conservative | 425 |
| James Tootle | Liberal Democrats | 153 |
| Steven Cochrane | Independent | 59 |
Botcherby1 seat
| Charles Scarborough | Labour | 698 ✓ |
| Gareth Ellis | Conservative | 452 |
Burgh1 seat
| Brian McKenna | Labour | 875 ✓ |
| John Collier | Conservative | 391 ✓ |
| Elizabeth Jackson | Liberal Democrats | 243 |
| Linda Douglas | SNP | 240 |
| Gerard McMahon | SSP | 176 |
| Ronald Pearson | Labour | 148 |
| Terry Rooney | Conservative | 125 |
Castle1 seat
| Thomas Hodgson | Liberal Democrats | 603 ✓ |
| Raymond Warwick | Labour | 443 |
Currock1 seat
| Richard Im Thurn | Labour | 719 ✓ |
| David Blackadder | Conservative | 272 |
Dalston1 seat
| Brian Dodd | Conservative | 780 ✓ |
| Trevor Allison | Liberal Democrats | 654 |
| Adrian Warwick | Labour | 281 |
Denton Holme1 seat
| Hugh McDevitt | Labour | 834 ✓ |
| Stephen Metcalfe | Conservative | 232 |
| Olwyn Doreen Luckley | Liberal Democrats | 111 |
Harraby1 seat
| Cyril Frederick Weber | Labour | 851 ✓ |
| Michelle Gwillim | Conservative | 311 |
| Eileen Aldersey | Liberal Democrats | 102 |
Irthing1 seat
| James Knapton | Conservative | 419 ✓ |
| Alex Faulds | Labour | 129 |
Longtown and Rockcliffe1 seat
| John Jefferson | Conservative | 568 ✓ |
| Robert Dodds | Labour | 345 |
Lyne1 seat
| Cyril Bowman | Conservative | 421 ✓ |
| Roger Horne | Labour | 88 |
Morton1 seat
| Ralph Aldersey | Liberal Democrats | 947 ✓ |
| John Bell | Labour | 935 |
St Aidans1 seat
| Reginald Watson | Labour | 691 ✓ |
| Lawrence Neil Fisher | Conservative | 551 |
| Steven Tweedie | Liberal Democrats | 167 |
Stanwix Rural1 seat
| Edward Firth | Conservative | 737 ✓ |
| John Hale | Labour | 255 |
Stanwix Urban1 seat
| Jacquelyne Geddes | Conservative | 930 ✓ |
| Keith Aitken | Labour | 479 |
| Roger O'Brien | Liberal Democrats | 234 |
Upperby1 seat
| Margaret Martlew | Labour | 774 ✓ |
| Richard Hyslop | Conservative | 273 |
| James Ernest Osler | Liberal Democrats | 167 |
Wetheral1 seat
| Barry Ogilvie Earp | Conservative | 983 ✓ |
| Helen Horne | Labour | 295 |
Yewdale1 seat
| Jackie Hendry | Labour | 831 ✓ |
| Bruce Hodgson | Conservative | 624 |
| Hannah Farmer | Liberal Democrats | 167 |
| H. Farmer | LIB | 166 |