Before (end of 2005) (60 seats, Elections Centre)
Liberal Democrats 21 · Labour 20 · Conservative 19 · Other 0
After (end of 2006) (60 seats, Elections Centre)
Labour 23 · Conservative 21 · Liberal Democrats 16 · Other 0
Ward results
Astley Bridge1 seat
| John Patrick Walsh | Conservative | 2,424 ✓ |
| Muhammad Rafiq | Labour | 686 |
| Jaleh Salari | Liberal Democrats | 351 |
| Howard Broadbent | SOC LAB | 250 |
Bradshaw1 seat
| Paul Brierley | Conservative | 2,319 ✓ |
| Janice Sutton | Labour | 751 |
| Stephen Frederick Howarth | Liberal Democrats | 539 |
Breightmet1 seat
| Lynda Byrne | Labour | 1,435 ✓ |
| Richard Elliott | Conservative | 1,358 |
| Edward Hill | Liberal Democrats | 351 |
Bromley Cross1 seat
| David Greenhalgh | Conservative | 2,725 ✓ |
| Anthony Muscat Terribile | Labour | 712 |
| Christopher Atty | Liberal Democrats | 462 |
| E. Spencer | Green | 297 |
| Elizabeth Spencer | Green | 292 |
Crompton1 seat
| Sufrana Bashir-Ismail | Labour | 1,932 ✓ |
| Valibhai Patel | Liberal Democrats | 1,132 |
| Donald Fairclough | Conservative | 941 |
| Anthony Backhouse | — | 190 |
| Lynne Lowe | SOC LAB | 129 |
Farnworth1 seat
| A. Spencer | Labour | 1,296 ✓ |
| P. Taylor | Conservative | 509 |
| David Connor | Liberal Democrats | 394 |
Great Lever1 seat
| Mohammed Ayub | Labour | 1,889 ✓ |
| Christine Wild | Conservative | 669 |
| Gulamali Jiva | Liberal Democrats | 335 |
| Astrid Johnson | Green | 327 |
Halliwell1 seat
| Akhtar Zaman | Labour | 2,289 ✓ |
| J. Douglas | Conservative | 605 |
| Nathan Biney | Liberal Democrats | 404 |
Harper Green1 seat
| Lynda Williamson | Labour | 1,194 ✓ |
| Robert Edward Tyler | Conservative | 768 |
| Geoffrey Willis | Liberal Democrats | 454 |
Heaton and Lostock1 seat
| Carol Ann Shaw | Conservative | 3,329 ✓ |
| John William Gillatt | Labour | 828 |
| Andrew Snowden | Liberal Democrats | 668 |
Horwich and Blackrod1 seat
| Michael Hollick | Conservative | 1,151 ✓ |
| Isabel Seddon | Labour | 1,105 |
| John Cronnolley | Liberal Democrats | 1,025 |
Horwich North East1 seat
| Stephen Rock | Liberal Democrats | 1,449 ✓ |
| Stephen Wallen | Conservative | 1,169 |
| Madeline Murray | Labour | 1,004 |
Hulton1 seat
| Andrew Morgan | Conservative | 1,741 ✓ |
| Romanna Kowalczuk | Labour | 1,051 |
| Linden Greensitt | Liberal Democrats | 463 |
Kearsley1 seat
| Derek Burrows | Labour | 1,158 ✓ |
| William Collison | Liberal Democrats | 1,079 |
| Diane Bamber | Conservative | 487 |
| Sean Hornby | Labour | 1,573 ✓ |
| D Broadie | Conservative | 1,427 |
| Alwynne Ann Cartmell | Green | 345 |
| Wendy Connor | Liberal Democrats | 298 |
| William Jones | — | 98 |
Rumworth1 seat
| Ismail Ibrahim | Labour | 2,028 ✓ |
| John Heyes | Conservative | 932 |
Smithills1 seat
| Richard Silvester | Liberal Democrats | 1,621 ✓ |
| Dennis Bray | Conservative | 1,345 |
| Joseph Hayes | Labour | 861 |
Tonge with the Haulgh1 seat
| Nicholas Peel | Labour | 1,598 ✓ |
| Mudasir Ahmed Dean | Conservative | 874 |
| Rosalind Harasiwka | Liberal Democrats | 252 |
| James Tomkinson | Green | 227 |
| John Higson | Conservative | 1,486 ✓ |
| David Chadwick | Labour | 1,146 |
| James Gilfillan | Liberal Democrats | 515 |
| Eric Hyland | Green | 304 |
Westhoughton South1 seat
| Julia Silvester | Liberal Democrats | 997 ✓ |
| Barbara Ramsden | Labour | 916 |
| M Baker | Conservative | 837 |