Before (end of 2002) (60 seats, Elections Centre)
Liberal Democrats 29 · Labour 28 · Conservative 2 · Other 1
After (end of 2003) (60 seats, Elections Centre)
Labour 33 · Liberal Democrats 25 · Conservative 2 · Other 0
Ward results
Alexandra1 seat · turnout 43.9%
| Nazam Azam | Labour | 1,120 ✓ |
| Jawaid Iqbal | Liberal Democrats | 1,059 |
| Anthony Wentworth | BNP | 537 |
| Paul Stephenson | Conservative | 188 |
| Francis Payne | Green | 162 |
Chadderton Central1 seat · turnout 31.0%
| Sid Jacobs | Labour | 1,318 ✓ |
| William Harrow | Conservative | 582 |
| Philip Stevens | Green | 402 |
| Philip Davenport | Liberal Democrats | 253 |
Chadderton North1 seat · turnout 44.1%
| Jeremy Sutcliffe | Labour | 1,684 ✓ |
| Nick Griffin | BNP | 993 |
| Phil Rogers | Conservative | 601 |
| Anwar Uddin | Liberal Democrats | 192 |
| Ben Lancaster | Green | 131 |
Chadderton South1 seat · turnout 34.8%
| David Thomas Jones | Labour | 1,293 ✓ |
| Stewart Fullard | BNP | 773 |
| Margaret Owens | Conservative | 276 |
| Philip Renold | Liberal Democrats | 115 |
| Susannah Stevens | Green | 84 |
| Patricia Lyons | — | 30 |
Coldhurst1 seat · turnout 47.3%
| Peter Dean | Labour | 1,575 ✓ |
| Gous Ali | Independent | 796 |
| Mohammed Newaz | Liberal Democrats | 794 |
| Kenneth Heeks | Conservative | 263 |
| Chondon Miah | Independent | 263 |
| Christopher Turner | — | 93 |
Crompton1 seat · turnout 31.8%
| Ann Wingate | Liberal Democrats | 1,113 ✓ |
| Valerie Pemberton | Conservative | 975 |
| Christopher Jones | Labour | 644 |
Failsworth East1 seat
| Judith Heyes | Labour | 1,555 ✓ |
| Paul David Martin | Conservative | 637 |
| Valerie Knowles | Liberal Democrats | 184 |
Failsworth West1 seat · turnout 30.5%
| Aileen Bell | Labour | 1,284 ✓ |
| Charles Styles | BNP | 756 |
| Stephen Thomas Lewis | Liberal Democrats | 204 |
Hollinwood1 seat · turnout 34.1%
| Jean Stretton | Labour | 846 ✓ |
| David Joynes | Liberal Democrats | 676 |
| Michael Treacy | BNP | 503 |
| John Berry | Conservative | 130 |
| Peter Robbie | Green | 50 |
Lees1 seat · turnout 39.8%
| Naomi Bennett | Labour | 1,099 ✓ |
| Veronica Clayton | Liberal Democrats | 800 |
| Craig Lawton | BNP | 746 |
| Betty Boon | Conservative | 208 |
| Robert Allsopp | Independent | 99 |
| Kristian Etchells | NF | 62 |
Royton North1 seat · turnout 42.8%
| Tony Larkin | Labour | 1,589 ✓ |
| Norman Corbett | BNP | 1,102 |
| Richard Postle | Conservative | 541 |
| John Francis Mccann | Liberal Democrats | 107 |
| Kay Roney | Green | 86 |
| Darren Dobson | NF | 74 |
Royton South1 seat · turnout 34.1%
| Steven Bashforth | Labour | 1,375 ✓ |
| Joseph Farquhar | Conservative | 734 |
| Chris Hilyer | Liberal Democrats | 618 |
Saddleworth East1 seat · turnout 40.1%
| Jerry Hudson | Conservative | 1,805 ✓ |
| Iain McInnes | Liberal Democrats | 1,417 |
| Paul Hickling | Labour | 699 |
| Andrew David Threlfall | Green | 308 |
Saddleworth West1 seat · turnout 35.8%
| Derek Heffernan | Liberal Democrats | 1,206 ✓ |
| Barbara Jackson | Conservative | 1,108 |
| Paul Gordon Fryer | Labour | 911 |
Shaw1 seat · turnout 32.9%
| Howard David Sykes | Liberal Democrats | 1,292 ✓ |
| Alwyn Stott | BNP | 680 |
| David Bentley | Conservative | 339 |
| Fazeelah Khan | Labour | 307 |
St James'3 seats
| Jackie Stanton | Liberal Democrats | 1,162 ✓ |
| Tony Thomas | Conservative | 964 ✓ |
| Godfrey Ian Isaacs | Conservative | 884 ✓ |
| Roy Goodwin | BNP | 810 |
| William Sharp | Conservative | 799 ✓ |
| Joseph Fitzpatrick | Labour | 506 |
| June West | Labour | 361 |
| Godfrey Harris | Labour | 352 |
| Harry Brett | Labour | 345 |
| Douglas John Copping | Green | 259 |
| Patricia Byrne | Conservative | 105 |
St Mary's1 seat
| Mohammed Sharif | Liberal Democrats | 1,493 ✓ |
| Ateeque Ur-Rehman | Labour | 1,381 |
| David Atherton | Conservative | 423 |
| Shamim Ahmed | — | 74 |
St Pauls1 seat · turnout 38.6%
| Jean Jones | Labour | 1,202 ✓ |
| Khalid Hussain | Conservative | 1,127 |
| David Roney | Green | 431 |
| Sakinder Mahmood | Liberal Democrats | 251 |
Waterhead1 seat · turnout 39.5%
| John Anchor | Liberal Democrats | 1,479 ✓ |
| Kevin Leyden | Labour | 983 |
| Martin Brierley | BNP | 935 |
| Graham Sheldon | Conservative | 233 |
| Stuart Allsopp | Independent | 94 |
Werneth1 seat · turnout 42.0%
| Kamran Ghafoor | Labour | 1,592 ✓ |
| Keith Pendlebury | Liberal Democrats | 1,035 |
| Ray Walmsley | Conservative | 287 |
| Shohib Ashraf | — | 144 |