 Civil parishes form the bottom tier of local government ; the parish councils are involved in planning , management of town and parish centres , and promoting tourism . In 2001 , 8 @,@ 484 people ( 4 @.@ 0 % of the borough 's population ) lived in Trafford 's four civil parishes : Carrington , Dunham Massey , Partington , and Warburton . They were all previously part of Bucklow Rural District . A rural district was a type of local government district for the administration of predominantly rural areas . The rest of Trafford is unparished . The unparished areas are : Altrincham ( Municipal Borough ) , Bowdon ( Urban District ) , Hale ( Urban District ) , Sale ( Municipal Borough ) , Stretford ( Municipal Borough ) , and Urmston ( Urban District ) . The status of each area prior to 1974 is shown in brackets . An urban district was a type of local government district which covered an urbanised area . 
