Labour lost some seats and won others - but remain in control of Rochdale council, as they have done since 2011. But the story of the night was the inroads made by the new kids on the block, the Middleton Independents Party, which fielded 15 candidates in five wards.
They took five seats and gave Labour a real scare. Labour leader Neil Emmott held on in West Middleton, but only by 150 votes.
Following a night of few shocks - when all 60 seats were up for grabs rather than the usual 20 following boundary changes - Labour lost six seats, but gained another four, leaving them with 42 seats and easily the biggest party in the borough.
