Election candidates declared

Elections 2015

People from across the borough will have the chance to vote for who will be their MP and also who will represent them on Rochdale Borough Council on Thursday 7 May.

The borough has two parliamentary constituencies, Rochdale constituency and Heywood & Middleton constituency (which includes Bamford, Castleton and Norden).

Labour's Simon Danczuk is defending the Rochdale seat he won in 2010 against a field of seven other candidates.

Labour's Liz McInnes is defending the Heywood & Middleton seat she won in the October 2014 by-election, following Jim Dobbin's death, against four other candidates.

See the Rochdale Online General Election Special pages:

• http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/elections/election-summary/25/rochdale-general-election-2015
  
  
• http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/elections/election-summary/24/heywood-and-middleton-general-election-2015

Twenty of the council’s 60 seats will be contested by 101 candidates on Thursday 7 May, with polling stations open from 7am to 10pm. Elected councillors help make decisions on key issues such as roads, planning and education.

Labour, the Conservatives and UKIP are fielding candidates in all twenty wards, the Liberal Democrats in 18 wards, the Greens in 15. The new Rochdale First party is contesting five wards, with two former Labour councillors, Farooq Ahmed and Dave Felton, amongst them. The Trade Union and Socialist Coalition has one candidate, as has Islam Zinda Baad and there is one independent.

See the Rochdale Online Local Election Special pages:

• http://rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/elections/election-summary/23/rochdale-borough-local-election-2015

The current make up of the Council is:

46 Labour
11 Conservative
2 Rochdale First
1 Liberal Democrat

The Labour party is defending in 14 wards, the Conservatives five wards and Rochdale First in one ward. Therefore, whatever happens on 7 May, the Labour Party will still be in control of Rochdale Borough Council.

The polls open on Thursday 7 May for both the local elections and the General Election with the General results being counted on Thursday and the Local results being counted on Friday 8 May.