Rochdale gain from LibDem Liz Lynne 0 ( 0.0%) 4,237 ( 8.8%) 23,758 (49.4%) 19,213 (40.0%) 0 ( 0.0%) 874 ( 1.8%) 68,529 48,082 (70.2%) Liz Lynne Rochdale 128 ( 0.2%) 12,378 (23.2%) 20,076 (37.7%) 20,204 (37.9%) 0 ( 0.0%) 629 ( 1.2%) LibDem 69,019 53,287 (77.2%) -14.4% +11.7% +2.0% +0.0% +0.6% -0.7% -7.0% For 20 years the politics of the industrial ex-textile northern Greater Manchester town of Rochdale was dominated by its gigantic MP, the massive Cyril Smith, and it came as a surprise to many who did not know the constituency thoroughly that he was able to hand it on at the 1992 general election to a very different figure, southern actress Liz Lynne. Smith had won a by-election in 1972, and held on like a rock through the ebb and flow of Liberal fortunes. He was 'Mr Rochdale' in many ways, a local employer and ex-Mayor, and a truly distinctive figure. But Liz Lynne showed true mettle, and there is also an enduring strength of Liberalism in this ex-textile town under the Pennine hills. It is very rare to find a place where the principal contest is between Liberal Democrat and Labour, but for over 25 years this has been the case in Rochdale. The Lib Dems have squeezed the anti-Labour Conservative vote, and indeed there is an working Lib Dem-Conservative coalition in Rochdale. It is therefore bad news for Liz Lynne that in the boundary changes the most Conservative part of the town, the Norden and Bamford ward, has been removed. Although it has been replaced by Littleborough and Wardle, where the Liberals are competitive, it is hard to resist the impression that the resurgent Labour party will probably finally recapture Rochdale in 1997. 1,214 3.03 9.03 34 1,641 4.09 11.17 37 1,881 4.69 11.25 42 7,106 17.72 14.70 121 6,159 15.36 10.45 147 89 0.22 2.81 8 1,745 4.35 8.01 54 6,806 16.97 15.25 111 5,359 13.37 7.13 187 7,878 19.65 10.17 193