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All the candidates standing in the local elections in Rochdale

Friday, 10 April 2026 19:53

By George Lythgoe, David Murphy

Local Elections. Credit: David Murphy

Rochdalians will head to the polls on Thursday, May 7 with a total 120 candidates vying for a position on the council.

One seat on all 20 wards will be contested at this year’s local election in Rochdale. Each ward has three dedicated councillors with a total of 60 in the local authority.

A massive 120 candidates have been fielded by eight political parties and independents. Conservatives, Greens, Labour, Liberal Democrats, Reform UK, Workers Party, Middleton Independents and one Advance UK candidate are all in the mix. 

Labour currently has an iron grip on the council with 43 council seats. The next largest political party is the Conservatives with eight councillors, then the Liberal Democrats with three and the Middleton Independents, Reform UK and Workers Party of Britain all have two.

Unlike other Greater Manchester councils, Rochdale hasn’t always been dominated by Labour, with the red rosettes only having control of the council since 2011. The council has been in no overall control a number of times throughout its history, with brief spells in charge for Lib Dems and the Conservatives. 

It is mathematically possible for Labour to lose overall control of the council this time around, but it would require them to lose 13 out of the 15 seats they are defending and make no gains elsewhere.

Reform UK’s Jordan Tarrant-Short won the last council election in Rochdale – the Balderstone and Kirkholt by-election held in May 2025. 

This year’s election will take place on Thursday, May 7, from 7am until 10pm. The deadline to apply for a postal vote in this year’s local elections is 5pm on Tuesday, April 21.

Residents have until midnight on Monday, April 20 to make sure they are on the electoral register and therefore entitled to vote.

Voters are reminded they will need to take ID to polling stations in order to vote.

Here is the full list of candidates names for each ward in Rochdale:

 

Balderstone and Kirkholt

Party Candidate Home Address
Liberal Democrats Rob Chilton (address in Rochdale)
Reform UK-Change Politics for Good Ashley-Louise Gilbert (address in Rochdale)
The Conservative Party Candidate John Kershaw (address in Rochdale)
Labour and Co-Operative Party Philip Thomas Massey (address in Rochdale)
Green Party Sami Mir (address in Rochdale)
Workers Party Nadeem Altaf (address in Rochdale)

 

Bamford

Party Candidate Home Address
Reform UK-Change Politics for Good Christopher Birchenough (address in Rochdale)
Labour Party Duncan Hannant 18 Whitebeam Close, Newhey, Rochdale, OL16 4ND
Green Party George Hilton (address in Rochdale)
Workers Party Bahadur Kamran (address in Rochdale)
The Conservative Party Angela Jennifer Smith 33 Winston Avenue, Bamford, OL11 5JA

 

Castleton

Party Candidate Home Address
The Conservative Party Malcolm Thomas Bywater (address in Rochdale)
Liberal Democrats Sharon L Harrison 46 Cleveland Drive, OL16 3HY
Reform UK-Change Politics for Good Dave Jones (address in Rochdale)
Green Party Jonathan Edward Kershaw 15 Grosvenor Street, Castleton, Rochdale, Lancs, OL11 2SU
Labour and Co-Operative Party Billy Sheerin (address in Rochdale)

 

Central Rochdale

Party Candidate Home Address
Labour Party Iftikhar Ahmed (address in Rochdale)
Green Party Candidate Peter Cloran (address in Rochdale)
Workers Party Waqar Khan (address in Rochdale)
The Conservative Party Catherine Leach (address in Rochdale)
Reform UK-Change Politics for Good Samantha Payne (address in Rochdale)

 

East Middleton

Party Candidate Home Address
Middleton Independents Party Paul Beswick 44 Phyllis St, Middleton, M24 2AQ
Labour Party Gina Jacques 101 Abbey Road, Middleton, Manchester, M24 6HQ
Reform UK-Change Politics for Good Mervyn Simpson (address in Rochdale)
The Conservative Party Michael Smith (address in Rochdale)
Green Party Clare Wood (address in Rochdale)

 

Healey

Party Candidate Home Address
Green Party Umar Ali (address in Rochdale)
Liberal Democrats Andy Lord 11 Turnpike Close, Shawclough, Rochdale, OL12 6HG
The Conservative Party Robert James Mclean (address in Rochdale)
Workers Party Raja Miah (address in Rochdale)
Labour and Co-Operative Party Shaun O'Neill 15 Daffodil Close, Shawclough, Rochdale, OL12 6N
Reform UK-Change Politics for Good Mark Stephens (address in Rochdale)

 

Hopwood Hall

Party Candidate Home Address
Liberal Democrats Iain Donaldson 5 Ribblesdale Close, Hopwood, OL10 2LL
Labour Party Susan Emmott 56 Aragon Drive, Heywood, Lancs, OL103BB
Green Party Robert Lewis King (address in Rochdale)
Reform UK-Change Politics for Good Steve Potter (address in Rochdale)
Advance UK Alan Shaw (address in Rochdale)
The Conservative Party Stephen Spencer-Jones 23 Newhouse Road, Heywood, OL10 2NU

 

Kingsway

Party Candidate Home Address
Labour Party Shakil Ahmed 28 Kings Road, Rochdale, OL16 5HW
The Conservative Party Stephen John Edgar 12 Stanley Way, Rochdale, OL16 4GL
Reform UK-Change Politics for Good Denise Harrison (address in Rochdale)
Green Party Mark Hollinrake (address in Rochdale)
Liberal Democrats Jenny Kelly 23 Thames Road, Rochdale, OL16 3UB
Workers Party Mohammed Saleem (address in Rochdale)

 

Littleborough Lakeside

Party Candidate Home Address
Labour and Co-Operative Party Janet Ann Emsley 101 Brown Lodge Drive, Smithy Bridge, Littleborough, OL15 0ET
Liberal Democrats Emma Jane Griffin 31 Bay Street, Rochdale, OL12 0EA
Reform UK-Change Politics for Good Victoria Howard (address in Rochdale)
The Conservative Party Ian Jackson 15 Whitegate, Littleborough, OL15 8PU
Green Party Paul Michael Wooten (address in Rochdale)

 

Milkstone and Deeplish

Party Candidate Home Address
Liberal Democrats Majdi Khalil Aldimashqi (address in Rochdale)
Labour and Co-Operative Party Mohammad Arshad (address in Rochdale)
The Conservative Party Len Branton (address in Rochdale)
Reform UK-Change Politics for Good Stuart Mather (address in Rochdale)
Green Party Neil Gavin Rutter 6 Mons Av, Rochdale, OL11 5BQ
Workers Party of Britain for Gaza Mohammed Shafiq (address in Rochdale)

 

Milnrow and Newhey

Party Candidate Home Address
The Conservative Party Milton Danczuk (address in Rochdale)
Liberal Democrats Irene Davidson 11 Newfield View, Milnrow, Rochdale, OL16 3DS
Reform UK-Change Politics for Good Anthony Gilbert (address in Rochdale)
Labour and Co-Operative Party Avis Kay Gilmore 183 Huddersfield Road, Newhey, Rochdale, OL16 3QG
Green Party Jack Freddie Gower (address in Rochdale)
Workers Party Mohammed Shafiq (address in Rochdale)

 

Norden

Party Candidate Home Address
Green Party Sarah Louise Croke (address in Rochdale)
The Conservative Party Paul Ellison 914 Edenfield Road, Norden, Rochdale, OL12 7SS
Reform UK-Change Politics for Good Kevin Lane (address in Rochdale)
Labour Party Sue Moore-Holmes 25 Redfearn Wood, Norden, Rochdale, OL12 7GA
Liberal Democrats Stephanie Robertson 11 Wolstenholme Lane, Norden, OL12 7UD

 

North Heywood

Party Candidate Home Address
The Conservative Party Sam Bancroft (address in Rochdale)
Green Party Naomi Charlotte Brown (address in Rochdale)
Liberal Democrats Steve Gillan (address in Rochdale)
Reform UK-Change Politics for Good Michael Howard (address in Rochdale)
Labour and Co-Operative Party Lewis Chadwick Woodall (address in Rochdale)

 

North Middleton

Party Candidate Home Address
Green Party James Luckham (address in Rochdale)
Middleton Independents Party Keeley O'Mara (address in Rochdale)
Liberal Democrats Chariss Peacock 47 Birch Crescent, OL16 4LL
Labour and Co-Operative Party Connor Stanisauskis (address in Rochdale)
The Conservative Party Eileen Taylor (address in Rochdale)
Reform UK-Change Politics for Good Lee Wolf (address in Rochdale)

 

Smallbridge and Firgrove

Party Candidate Home Address
Green Party Feruz Ali (address in Rochdale)
Reform UK-Change Politics for Good Cole Brierley (address in Rochdale)
Independent Billy Howarth (address in Rochdale)
Labour Party Aftab Hussain (address in Rochdale)
Liberal Democrats Mohammed Khizer (address in Rochdale)
The Conservative Party Charlotte Jayne Taylor (address in Rochdale)

 

South Middleton

Party Candidate Home Address
The Conservative Party Stacey Bancroft (address in Rochdale)
Liberal Democrats Sam Ellis 7 Eycott Drive, Middleton, M24 4SR
Green Party Sunday Stephen Onabanjo 7 Lingdale Walk, Manchester, M40 9BR
Reform UK-Change Politics for Good Matthew Pilkington (address in Rochdale)
Labour Party Peter James Williams 87 Crow Hill South, Alkrington, Middleton, M24 1LA

 

Spotland and Falinge

Party Candidate Home Address
Liberal Democrats Rabina Asghar 14 Edmund Street, Rochdale, OL12 6QN
Workers Party Benita Blessing (address in Rochdale)
Independent Stefan Cholenka 31 Spotland Road, Rochdale, OL12 6PE
Green Party Mick Coats 66 Rooley Moor Rd, Rochdale, OL12 7BS
The Conservative Party Ann Marie Conway (address in Rochdale)
Labour Party Iram Faisal (address in Rochdale)
Reform UK-Change Politics for Good Carl Faulkner 51 Rooley Moor Road, Rochdale, OL12 7AX

 

Wardle, Shore and West Littleborough

Party Candidate Home Address
Reform UK-Change Politics for Good Philip Barrett (address in Rochdale)
The Conservative Party Matthew Frederick Hargreaves 3 Greencroft Way, Smallbridge, OL16 2QY
Liberal Democrats Kim Ho 5 Gaskell Close, Littleborough, OL15 8EB
Labour and Co-Operative Party Joshua James Mccarron (address in Rochdale)
Green Party Adam Mir (address in Rochdale)
Workers Party Laura Pugh (address in Rochdale)

 

West Heywood

Party Candidate Home Address
The Conservative Party Adele Allison Anstee (address in Rochdale)
Labour and Co-Operative Party Angela Brown (address in Rochdale)
Reform UK-Change Politics for Good Stuart Crawford (address in Rochdale)
Liberal Democrats Tom Shaw 2 New York Street, Heywood, Rochdale, OL10 3EU
Green Party Candidate Ethan Towers (address in Rochdale)

 

West Middleton

Party Candidate Home Address
Labour Party Phil Burke 24 Latrigg Crescent, Langley, Middleton, Manchester, M24 4LT
Green Party Caitlin Furlong 9 Kenley Drive, Heywood, OL10 2WE
The Conservative Party Matthew Steven Roughsedge 5 Bishop Marshall Way, Middleton, Manchester, M24 5NE
Reform UK-Change Politics for Good Trevor Taylor (address in Rochdale)

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