To think this isn't a reasonable suggestion from DWP

@Jenneypops - I think what most people were saying that it might have been better for you and your family for him to do that until he found another job? Not that he should do it indefinitely? He was obviously doing it some of the time, so it was a reasonable question, given the fact that if someone leaves work voluntarily, depending on the reasons for doing so, UC may be paid at a lower rate for a shortish period, I believe, so they would need to know why as part of the claim assessment

But he has another job now, so that's brilliant news.

Not unreasonable to ask, they have to explore all avenues and check every box. Not really sure what you want here as you got 2 responses and then went on the attack. We’re all struggling and working harder than ever OP. It’s getting harder to find employment due to the NI & tax increases Labour have brought in, if you have a good job that treats you well I’d try to keep it.

I feel much the same way.

My dad got into trouble because he refused to go for an interview with a company that was a 2.5 hour drive away. To go to the interview, he would have had to have stopped my mum from going to work that day (because they only had 1 car) and if he'd got the job, he would obviously have had to buy a car and spend 5 hours a day in it.

I've had my own very annoying experiences, like them wanting to see my bank statements but refusing to allow me to upload them. Not sure why they were unable to provide me a secure link because their head office can do it. I had to travel to them and because I have a fatiguing illness, I then had to spend the rest of the day in bed to recover. They did offer me a home visit but the next appointment was in 2 months time and tbey wouldn't pay me until tbey saw my bank statements. Personally so think they were breaking the law.

Why did you not move is a reasonable question.

Couldn't afford it is a reasonable answer.

Oh god. I have my first interview with the job centre tomorrow, but I now have a job lined up in my field starting in a month which took a lot of effort to get. I’ll be so pissed off if they say this to me!

It was a perfectly reasonable question, and I am sure you had an equally reasonable answer as to why this wasn't possible.

They aren't mind readers and probably didn't know the full circumstances without asking.

They have to ask the dullest, stupidest of questions sometimes, which may seem very obvious to you, and may come across rude or accusatory but they still have to ask.

A simple 'it would cost him more than he earns to commute/stay in London in the week' will do.

The point is that it was a reasonable question that just required a reasonable answer - as you have said, too expensive to live etc.
Theres no need to take offence at everything. Just explain your reasoning, which I’m sure would be acceptable.

I’m glad he’s found an other job. As for the DWP -it was a reasonable question to ask as in effect he made himself unemployed.

So every single employee in your husband’s company have moved to London?

I'm well aware but people also have to live, have a right to family life and if they actually enjoy their job they tend to do it better and for longer. No wonder we have a mental health crisis in the UK
You don't have a eight to famy life that means being with your kids and partner all day but in between 9 and 5, what a ridiculous statement!

Why apply for a job so far away in the first place?? Surely you know there's a good chance of becoming office based.

But he may get sanctioned by UC for voluntarily leaving a job ( and rightly so)

Because he obviously hasn't timed it right. In an ideal world, he should have stuck his old job out until his new job started so that tax payers didn't have to fund him. She's absolutely right to ask why he did that as, if there is no justified reason, the money he is claiming could have been spent on someone who is justified in claiming.

And contrary to one of your previous posts, paying tax for a few years is not a justified reason for claiming!

I'm well aware but people also have to live, have a right to family life and if they actually enjoy their job they tend to do it better and for longer. No wonder we have a mental health crisis in the UK. What's wrong with having ambition? Do we have to accept anything just because DWP say so?

Hi. Bro it’s fine to claim universal credit at some point we all paid into it via tax and national insurance. Everyone need's some help at some point and they deserve it. Some people here recommended commuting but I would like to disagree. Commuting is mentally and physically exhausting, by the time he is at the office he can’t do jack shit plus he will be mentally drained. We are humans and have limits, he recognised his limits and prioritised his family which is good overall. it is not shameful to call it quits when needed. Life and family is far more important than a barely minimum wage job. Lastly, @Jenneypopsits good to know that he has found another job. BEST OF LUCK TO YOU ALL!

When my FIL was younger he used to live in London through the week whilst his wife and children lived elsewhere. It’s not unheard of but understandable it’s a lot of money and if the pay from the job isn’t great then it’s not worth it.

As long as they accepted your answer then it's a fair enough question. It's a generic one that would come up on her screen if she tapped in the fact that it was now fully elsewhere. It might be somewhere only five miles away, they'd still ask. They might even have to ask if it was in another country!

DWP - jobseekers aren't there to get people into their most wanted job, with perfect benefits and work/life balance

They are there to get people into work and off benefits so that they aren't costing the tax payer money which could be spent elsewhere

All you needed to is visualise rent/ accommodation v income for them.

I agree it's unreasonable to expect you to move..or for him to commute as both would be much too expensive and I assume his employer won't pay travel, accommodation or transfer costs.
But I assume she has to ask the question to fill in the forms.
Don't worry about it and I hope he finds work locally soon.

Neither do I but I think it is perfectly reasonable for your H to answer 1 simple question about it when asked by DWP

Have you confirmed that you’re going to receive?

If the role was hybrid, he must have been travelling for part of the week. I think its perfectly reasonable to question why he cant travel daily for a short period of time until he finds something more suitable. It's tax payers money he's claiming, he absolutely should be asked to justify it (and of course he absolutely should get the money if it is justified).

He jacked in his job because he didn’t want full time in the office

Seems very reasonable question to me