To think this isn't a reasonable suggestion from DWP

[Jenneypops]

Claiming universal credit as husbands hybrid role went fully office so he's looking for a new role and we qualify for support as low incomes.

We are in Staffordshire his office was in London. The staff member asked why he's given up his job instead of moving to London.

That is not a reasonable suggestion in my opinion, and it was delivered with a very snotty attitude. Why are some people on jobs to help people they clearly don't want to be or are useless at? No consideration for the fact we could never afford the rent there etc.

I think the reason she asked is because it’s classed as leaving his job voluntarily. She will need to record the reasons for that so that a decision maker can decide if benefits can continue to be paid. But when asking sensitive questions, delivery is everything.

I think my view is clouded by having been a work coach, and still have friends who are. They have to know so many changing rules, deal with awful abuse, expected to know everything about every career, defend policies they themselves dont make…oh, and many are on UC themselves. So i guess I get a bit touchy about work coach bashing threads

I'm not up to date with benefits but it used to be the case that there was a penalty if you gave up a job without good reason. Perhaps that's what she was investigating?

I don't think it's unreasonable to ask why someone would give up a job before they have secured another.
That doesn't mean the commute is not acceptable as a good reason.

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

Seems very reasonable question to me

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).

Have you confirmed that you’re going to receive?

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

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.

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

He's secured a new job that is full time in the office with a commute of an hour each way daily so how do you work that out?

Of course he has to explain and answer questions. She didn't say he should commute to London. She said why couldn't he move.

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

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!

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.

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!

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?

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!

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)

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!

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

Why did you not move is a reasonable question.

Couldn't afford it is a reasonable answer.