About the Council

Rochdale is a metropolitan borough council that consists of four township areas: Heywood, Middleton, Pennines and Rochdale.

The multi award-winning, modern and stylish council offices and library building in the heart of Rochdale town centre – Number One Riverside – has been named the Best Corporate Workplace in the UK. The building is well-served by public transport links and is also the location of health colleagues working within the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership and other partners and there is a focus on people, passion and pride. You’ll be working in a dynamic and flexible environment and given opportunities to develop your career and make a positive difference to people’s lives. 

In 2021 we won two MJ awards, one for our community response during the Covid-19 pandemic and the other was for innovation in children’s services with our ‘Safe after School’ campaign and our Rochdale Relationship’s Matter work was also a finalist. This gives you a flavour of how we’re working here in Rochdale – innovatively and successfully. Our Health and Care partnership has also recently won the 2023 prestigious Health Service Journal (HSJ) award for Integrated Care Initiative of the Year award at the for putting communities at the heart of decision making. 

We work closely with a wide range of partners for the benefit of the borough and its residents, including our NHS and blue light services. 

Political make-up

We have 60 elected councillors. There are 44 Labour, 8 Conservative, 3 independents, 3 Liberal Democrats and 2 Workers Party of Britain. The Labour Group has control of the council. The Leader of the Council is Councillor Neil Emmott.

Leadership structure

The various departments of the council are divided into directorates. Each director has responsibilities for overseeing a cluster of areas.

  • Chief executive
  • Children’s Services
  • Corporate Services 
  • Economy and place 
  • Public Health and communities
  • Integrated care and health
View our Leadership structure
View our Council directorate
Read more about the council

Corporate priorities

Everyone is succeeding and living well

People
  1. Offer support that will help people to access the basics and opportunities to better their lives
  2. Deliver integrated all age health services, disease and lifestyle management programmes
  3. Strengthen support for those with social care needs to live well and independently
  4. Improve early years, education standards, school places and post Covid catch up for children
  5. Support people to gain the skills needed to obtain higher value jobs and wages
  6. Strengthen our approach to protecting people from harm and building cohesive communities

A thriving, fairer and sustainable economy 

Place
  1. Provide space and support for high value business development, innovation and job creation
  2. Support people in attaining and maintaining good employment
  3. Create more supply, quality and choice in the housing market (social and high value homes)
  4. Enhance transport systems to make it easier for people to access services, jobs and amenities
  5. Regenerate town centres and deliver an enhanced heritage, culture and creative offer
  6. Improve digital infrastructure, connectivity and make
    sure no one is digitally excluded

Taking action on climate change

Planet
  1. Practice responsible consumption and production in our own operation
  2. Raise awareness and work with communities to encourage and enable climate action
  3. Support production and utilisation of local renewable and affordable energy
  4. Help to reduce the energy demand of homes, buildings, transport and infrastructure
  5. Implement nature based solutions to support healthy ecosystems, biodiversity and wellbeing
  6. Keep the borough clean by strengthening our approach to managing waste and recycling

Transforming council delivery

Performance
  1. Implement data and specialist functions to improve decision making and project delivery
  2. Apply a consistent approach to optimising revenue and funding
  3. Utilise digital technology to deliver responsive and more efficient services
  4. Apply ‘good employment’ practices to develop our workforce and be an employer of choice
  5. Implement public service reform practices to deliver integrated services in neighbourhoods
  6. Strengthen our partnerships and communications to build the Rochdale brand

Council values:

Read more in our People, Place and Planet Council Plan 2028