When I first got on the Council, a 1/3 of a century ago, the local government reporter lived nearer to the Town Hall than the Telegraph offices.

My wife, as a secondary school teacher, walked to work. When they were old enough, our children went to the same school, walking there too.

Listen to maximum wage limited Rovers players of the 60s era, they walked to work or perhaps got the 'bus.

When I was at primary school in Birmingham in the late 1950s/early 60s, the Head Teacher had a car, the Deputy a bike, everyone else walked there. My yomp was about a mile, perhaps two.

I'm not on a green "trip" here or a "health" angle...it's about belonging.

I met a guy who used to work in Blackburn recently. He's now moved to work in Bury, so he can go back & live in his home town of Sheffield! It's a 50 mile journey. He travels by train every day. Checking on the Web, to get to work by 0900, he'd have to set off just after 0700!

I know many local top public sector staff. They live in Cheshire, near Liverpool, south of Stockport, in the Peak District, Lancaster, Yorkshire, Manchester.

But is it healthy? Not for them or the environment but for the notion of "community"? How far do people working in London travel? An hour, hour and a half? More?

Does it matter? What's normal, fair, right?

Should we make people live near where they work? Should teachers send their kids to the school they work at? Why? Why not?

Or is it how it is? Will travel to work get more onerous?