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:
Parents at St Cuthberts RC High School have been told that further strike action will take place next week as an ongoing dispute involving the NASUWT and NEU continues.
Oldham Council says it is investigating an issue affecting ballot papers in the Waterhead ward after reports that local election votes were disqualified due to a printing error.
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