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.

Ah I see, thank you, just my curiosity. My DH wfh mostly but if he has to go the office or do visits he gets paid for travel/overnight. I don't working in the public sector, completely different world! Xxx

Sounds like a question more than a suggestion tbh

You're not wrong people on here will tell you You're wrong but would never do it themselves. Asking a person to leave their home and family is unreasonable

A SAHM mum isn't reliant on the tax payer but instead on her husband. I was a sahm mum and raised all our kids. Never took a penny in benefits. DH earned too much.

I think YOU are making the assumption Feel free to AS me btw I was only asking because if the OPs DH did what was suggested some nosy arse neighbour would probably ring the HA and say hes not living there anymore. Because the way SH works is that you actually have to live in it. I know that from a. reading up about it and b. LIVING IN IT MYSELF And some of those nosy arses will be MNers.

Not the case where the husbands earnings are low enough to get topped up but if the wife also worked they would earn too much. I'm those cases it is " taxpayers money" supporting a sahm

Why the hell would you claim benefits for 2 weeks of unemployment. The entitlement from some people on this thread is off the scale. No wonder the welfare bill is through the roof!

I have had posters on here berate me for being on benefits when they are either a SAHM or not a net contributor (but married to someone who is).
As an individual, they are just as much a "drain" as I am. But they think being bankrolled by their DH excuses them.

And then moaning including getting moaned at by the NHS when there is no one available or living close enough to care for elderly relatives
Cant have it both ways.

Because they are already on a low income, so would struggle even more with no money at all for those two weeks.

The DWP employee would have had to ask your husband why he didn't move as they would need full information to consider otherwise he could have lost benefit for three months because he left his job. So what you think was a stupid suggestion was more likely a question asked which probably protected him from sanction.

What about the OPs wages?

I think it’s definitely reasonable to ask why anyone has left a job. Presumably he knew it was a London based firm when he started and he was commuting to London at some point in his job and was happy with that?

They are entitled to UC with her wages too.

I wouldn't presume this at all, lots of people started jobs that were promised as being totally WFH, and then the company is bought out or something changes and its office based now - a lot depends on the original contract, but even if he has a contract stating the role is WFH, the company could claim that role no longer exists, they have a business need for office based workers, if he doesn't move he's out of a job.

If that was the case he’d be made redundant though wouldn’t he. You can’t just make a fundamental change to someone’s contact and ask them to suck it up. Employment law doesn’t work like that.

I mean in defence of OP post Covid my work went hybrid. A lot of my pre Covid team left and the people who filled the roles in Covid do have to travel a fair bit to the office 2 days a week as the job was remote with intention of hybrid. If we were to go back to full time office a few of them have said they wouldn’t be able to afford the commute every day back and forth my manager included. So I can understand this argument however I always prepare for going back full time as it could happen at anytime so for me it would never affect me as I stay less than 10 minutes drive from my office. It is odd asking someone why they can’t move to London but I imagine it’s part of their job so wouldn’t worry too much x

Someone who voluntarily loves them and cares for them and chooses to pay for them. The whole marriage is a partnership thing. Taxpayers are involuntarily forced to.

Anyway OP and her DH are struggling. Glad he's got a new job.

You want them to pay Jobseekers?

Then you do what they tell you

They are literally there to get you into work

Climbing the ladder or following your dream career is done either living off savings or by working alongside the job you have

Trains are not extremely expensive nor are Travel Lodges if you stay just outside of main London
Can get to London for less than £20 on a prebooked train from around Staffordshire area, you'd get a railcard with that much travel too which brings it down

I'm on low income, I'm not out of touch

Train fairs aren't that much from Staffordshire to London

And OP drip fed in that he was a low earner

£100 is way overestimating it on train fare

Don't book central London and you can get decent cheaper accommodation

Commuting and staying in a Travelodge and paying rent at home as well isn't financially worthwhile

To make it clear:

OP dripfed that the job was minimum wage whilst I was typing my initial post

A quick check shows the first train from Stafford to London Euston, which gets you there around 7am, costs about £28, less with a travel card which you would use if you were travelling often, same to return after 6pm on a Friday

£56 per week. I'm also on MW. My bus fare can come in at around £25 a week, colleagues who drive can be paying £9 a day for parking, sometimes 6 days a week (so nearly £60) plus their petrol

£56 isn't a huge amount in travel tbh

And I also say this as someone whose been on UC, and been told I would need to commute up to an hour for work which could easily cost the same amount

So he has a full time job lined up.

Why are you applying for a benefit that will take many weeks to process?